Under my skin
by innocent-rebel
Summary: What if the bug bites after April's Artifact had led too more for one of the guys? 2003 Series Please R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT, painful as it is.

A/N: Takes place after April's Artifact. Big thanks to **Jessiy Landroz** for helping me out with some facts about the ep. Thanks girl. I owe ya. I'm debating yet again about the genre of this story so if it changes don't worry, that doesn't mean the stories different it just means the little authoress over here finally figured out which slot to put it under.

I know I really need to stop starting stories until I have all my other ones finished, good news is though that I have basically a work schedule set up for myself now on them. So updates on my other stories mostly Beseeching Past and Quarantine (that has been starving for my attention (gets attacked by a muse) will be the ones most focused on and then I'll work my way down my list while continuing this one when I need to take a break from others. Good news is though even though it was short I have proven to myself that I can complete a story and not freeze mid way through it so that helped me out a lot. Anyways you probably all want to actually get to the story huh? Well without further ado please enjoy for that is why we write….

This story is dedicated to two people: **Jessiy Landroz **whom without I would be lost on several of the key elements. And also to **Red Rebel** who if she hadn't lit a fire under me and not let me forget to write this, it might never have seen the light of day. Thank you guys.

Sleep may be a chance too dream, but what if dreams are what haunts?-me

Chapter 1: Fatigue and chases

Raphael groaned a bit mumbling something incoherent as he walked out of his room tying his bandanna on. It had been another bad night, with more bad dreams, dreams he would never let himself succumb to talking about. He just…wouldn't. No matter how intense they got.

Stalking into the bathroom, the red masked turtle rinsed a towel in cold water, before slapping it on his face, hoping it would wake him up more and cling to his mask throughout the day. He had gotten little to no sleep the previous night and would need something to keep him from falling asleep in practice like he had near done several days ago.

The lack of rest catching up to him finally, unfortunately it cost him both the match as well as his freedom for the rest of day and night being confined to bed. He hadn't had too much of a problem with it though like his siblings had expected instead he seemed rather complacent about the idea and simply went to sleep for a few hours. The rest of the time however was spent with him tossing and turning, trying to wake up and rid himself of the visions that assaulted him.

A reason as to why their sudden appearance alluded him at the moment, nothing had happened in the past week that should have scared him that much, or been close enough to threaten his family to scare him. In fact the only thing that had happened a few days prior was that they had returned from that world April's uncle had left behind.

Bugs…he shuddered a bit at their memory mentally vowing to one day kill them all. Sure they had unnerved him and he noticed he was a bit slower than usual and even on the rare nights he got six or more hours of sleep he would wake up exhausted. But, that didn't give a reason as to these dreams, these sudden feelings. There were times in sparring when he would be doing just fine and then either feel like collapsing or simply if struck would feel like a knife was raked through him.

The situation was anything but normal, not that anything with them really was, and his family was getting more and more concerned. Splinter had made him sit out on more practices for mediation trying to locate what was plaguing his son, and Donatello had attempted to run more tests on him all of which came back normal.

Muttering more to himself, Raph wiped some more water on his face before heading out of the bathroom and greeted by the morning voice of his older brother. "Hey Raph, good to see you're up and ready. Splinter said he's going to let you back into sparing today if you're not too…you didn't sleep again did you?" he asked with a sigh noticing the way his brothers shoulders hunched up and the way he mumbled.

"Yeah…so…I wasn't tired…" it was the worst lie he had ever given to anyone in his entire family but his mind wasn't working at the moment to give him a credible one at the moment.

Leo didn't spend time trying to get his brother to listen instead he stepped right out in front of him, placing his hands on the shoulders. The turtle they belonged too seemingly stopped with no more than a grunt, unable or not caring to look at his brother in the eyes, further worrying him.

"Raph listen to me bro. You have got to stop this alright? You're draining yourself worse and worse each day and if you don't get some sleep soon. You might loose it." he spoke tapping his brothers head despite the risk on his life for doing so.

Instead Raph muttered again forcing his head up and wishing the water would work instead of making him more drowsy. "Big dancing whoop. So I don't like to sleep anymore what's the big deal? I just found better stuff to do with my time is all than visit la la land like the rest of ya." he snorted shoving his brother's hands off his shoulders and making his way for the kitchen hoping maybe coffee would do the trick and trying to ignore his brother best he could as he followed.

"Morning Raph…" Don started cheerfully before he was cut off by a raised hand.

"Don please, do not say morning to me in any form, do not ask me how I slept, do not get on my case about sleeping and do not…I repeat do not tell me we're out of coffee."

Don quirked an eyebrow a bit at his brother mouthing to Leo as he entered, "He didn't sleep did he?"

Leo shook his head.

"I saw that brainaic." Raph snapped a bit trying to resist banging his head on the counter when he found to his distaste there was no coffee left at all, his brother was having orange juice which should have been his first tip off. "Don't you say a…."

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go get some more coffee later tonight when I go to the comic book store." Mikey explained coming into the room stretching at what his brother envied of a good nights sleep, his fists curling as he tried not to bang his head through something.

"Thanks Mikey." Don answered before pausing as something hit him. "You know I could have sworn we had a full canister last night…" he started leaning against his hand, one eye ridge raised when Mikey started flushing a bit and attempting to go over to the cupboard unnoticed. "Michelangelo what did you do?"

The youngest turned slightly noticing all his brother's eyes suddenly on him, his usually innocent look of _what?_ Not cutting it at the moment. "Well…you know how you all keep telling me I should spend more time with my heads out of the clouds and more time with them on earth?" they nodded, wanting to know what that had anything to do with this. "Well for once agree! I think its high time I got my feet planted firmly on the ground no holding back and faced the dangers of the world!"

"Cut the dramatics Mikey what did you do?" Leo asked already knowing this was going to be a long day.

"I wanted to do an experiment…"

"Like what?" Raph asked in a voice that was all too nice, hands on hips and leaning towards his brother.

The orange ninja gulped. "Like…I kinda, sorta, maybe…wanted to see what would happen if I burned it like a candle and if it would give everyone a caffeine buzz or simply smell really bad." he finally yelped out dodging behind his only non coffee drinking brother as both Raph and Don dropped their jaws, looked at each other then sent a death glare Mikey's way. Leo merely remained quiet, arms folded, more annoyed at the fact that his brother had been that foolish and about the fight he knew was only seconds and his body away from happening.

"Well that would explain maybe why Raph couldn't sleep that well." he thought knowing his red clad sibling was far less immune to the caffeine than Donatello who at one point drank five pots a day when he got inspired. Raph however was just really starting to get into the habit, meaning even two cups a day could keep him wired.

"Leo move." Raph stated hands on hips, Donatello by his side as they eyed their little brother. If coffee wasn't going to give Raph the start he needed chasing his little brother would.

"Leo!" Mikey eeped at the mercy of his brothers as the eldest locked eyes with them both before looking at Mikey, a small evil smile appeared on his lips.

"Mikey, run." He stated side stepping and leaving his brother exposed, taking off like an orange shot as a purple then a red one followed.

Leo sighed leaning up against the door frame muttering to himself and watching as the three chased round and round, a sarcastic tone becoming his friend. "And today had started off so well."

To be continued…

A/N: Not to much happening so far only some of the bases are set, but that will change in the next few chapters. Well I hope you guys liked it, please review and let me know.

Until next time

innocent-rebel


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.

A/N: (is currently still dead. Flu into strep turned into Bronhitis) Sorry this took so long to get up. I had a few rough drafts of it before the final one. Thank you guys so much for your support it really means a lot to me. Please enjoy for that is why we write.

_Beep!_

The green clock by the televisions beeped twelve thirty, signaling the end for practice.

"And finish." Splinter spoke in a raised voice as all of his sons dropped back to their original positions from back kicks and bowed, only to collapse in a heap once they were sure it was completely over. "Very good my sons, though we will need to work more on putting it all together, before we move on. You may now do as you please." he said, he was used to his son's doing that after a rigorous work out.

Even Leonardo had had some trouble keeping up with his father in this one and he could tell they were all ready to pass out, one son in particular caught his eye at the moment though. Raphael's face was drawn, and despite his mask Splinter could tell dark circles must reign under his eyes. Surprisingly his son had managed to push himself through the entire exercise, rejecting any offers of his father to sit out.

"_I've been sittin' out enough Sensei…C'mon, please. I don't need babying I'm fine."_ the hot tempered turtle had argued with his father. Though from the look on his face at the moment, the rat had to wonder if his son really wasn't trying to get his father to just say no and make him go lay down somewhere. More than likely though he wasn't and this was only increasing Splinter's worry.

He could tell even if he had sent him to bed, it would have done no good. Raphael simply didn't sleep anymore. The teen probably didn't know how many nights his father had watched him from outside his room lay awake in his hammock, or twist and turn in a fitful sleep that seemed to cause physical pain. There was a few times the master thought about waking him up only to have Raph if on cue jump down out of his bed, or fall out more likely trying to rake something off of his skin muttering under his breath. Nothing was ever on him, but that hadn't stopped him from several times scraping his arms with his nails in attempt to get nothing off.

Splinter had always been on the verge of stopping his son, only too whenever he was about to step into the room, Raphael would suddenly stop, no matter what and climb back into bed. He probably knew his father was, in fact he did know and he knew that Splinter was just waiting for him to come to him, but didn't want to be the first to push. Over the recent years, their relationship had slowly started to crumble it seemed.

Whether that was because of the way Raph felt his Sensei favored Leo above everyone else, despite being told how untrue it was or for some other reason, the father, son feeling had slowly dissipated. What was left felt hollow at times and more cold than anything else. It hurt both parties, but it seemed to grate on Raph the most openly. Master Splinter took any hurt inside. There was still love…it was just more quiet than the others; Expressed more with a silent nod, touch on the shoulder or rare but precious moment when Raph would talk to Splinter instead of arguing with him over something.

But from the look the red banded turtle gave his Sensei at that moment, the master wasn't sure if even contact period was becoming a hostile territory.

"I'm fine, dad." he grunted struggling to his feet, noticing the rest of his family was now up and Mikey was giving him that look that spoke volumes. "I still owe you for this morning Mike." Raph growled jerking his shoulder away from Splinter in a sudden leap after Mikey as he gave a girly scream and dove for cover.

"C'mon Raph! I'm too tired to run!" Mikey whined as his brother gained.

"That's your fault Mike." Raph smirked finally tackling his brother over the couch and almost into the coffee table. If Donatello hadn't moved it earlier there would have been two turtles with splinters.

"What happened this morning?" Splinter asked with sudden curiosity placing his paw back on his walking sticks head and casting glances at both Leo and a sheepish looking Don.

"Eh, you don't want to Master." Leo said with a small smile waving it off and saving Don the embarrassment of telling the story. Although they had learned that morning that the purple turtle was more flexible than they thought in how he was able to tackle Mikey earlier. Raph had nearly caught up to them when he suddenly had to stop, grabbing at his throat and trying to get some air.

The other two hadn't really noticed and with both of them yelling and Mikey's head between Don's arms it wasn't much of a surprise. Leo had noticed however and hadn't let his brother forget about it either; continuing to ask him all the way until training started if he was alright.

He had taken the whole I'll break your jaw comment, to mean either Raph was alright, or he didn't want to talk about it. The older turtle suspected the latter. Whether or not he wanted to talk about it though, he would need too eventually.

Splinter nodded, he had a feeling that odor he had smelled throughout the night though had something to do with it. He was about to ask about that when the phone rang.

"I'll get it." Don instantly volunteered using any excuse to get away. He rarely lost his temper and since it was over something so…awkward, even though Splinter had seemed to accept Leo's 'explanation.' he still didn't want to run the risk of having to explain it.

"Hello." he answered. "Ok hang on…Hey Raph! It's Casey!" Don bellowed across the lair to his two rough housing siblings.

"I'll be right there Don! I just got one more case of business to take care of…" the sinister tone told all; As well as the screams and pleas.

"NO! Raph! Not that anything but that! C'mon bro have some mercy!! I said I'd get more, NO! Raph, Raphie, Brother whom I love! Ra…I'll tell Splinter…Don't you, Don't you dare!!" The long shriek that followed told them all Raphael had resorted to a trick they all had come up with when they were in their preteens and it still had an effect on both Michelangelo and Leonardo if they could ever pin him down.

"Ewww!" Mikey whined wiping his face as they came over.

Raph just grinned, shrugged and took the phone sucking up what was left of the spit on his mouth he had only seconds before dangled over a helpless Mikey. "Thanks Don. Hey Case what's up?"

"Ow! Raph ya mind tellin' your bro when he yells like that to pull away from the phone. Dude has lungs like a banshee." Casey's wince was heard over the phone.

"Sure thing Case. Hey Don quit yellin' so loud yer hurtin' Casey's head!" Raph yelled just as loud despite the fact Donatello was two feet away and cringing at the noise "Quiet enough for ya?" Raph grinned turning back to the phone.

Casey only groaned. "And here I was being so nice and gonna invite ya to a big dragon raid tonight and you go yell in my ear! Fine then I guess I'll…"

"Hang on there Case!" Raph instantly spoke up, this was perfect! A dragon raid?! This time of year…and just when he needed to get out of the lair too? This was just too perfect.

"I don't know man, I mean should I really tell ya about it…"

Already Raph was making his way past everyone to his room, and closing the door behind him with a thud. Splinter's ears pressed back as he shook his head and sighed. His son did know he wasn't going out tonight didn't he?

"My sons, I'll be in room as soon as your brother is done speaking with Mr. Jones I would like word with him." the others nodded as the rat headed towards his room, and Mikey instantly took off towards Raph's room pressing his head firmly to the door and listening in.

X

"Well I don't know Raph. My ears are ringing I don't know if I'm even gonna go now." the older man continued to tease his surrogate brother.

"Casey, drop the dramatics or so help me your entire head's gonna be…" he caught himself mid yawn mentally smacking himself. "Spinning." he finished.

"Aww Raphie tired?"

"I'll make sure you have a nice eulogy, _Arnold._ Now come on, give me some basics." when he thought Casey was going to start on him again Raph sighed. "Listen Casey, I really need to get out of here right now. It feels like this is becomin' a prison, ever since this whole…no sleep thing started, I just…everyone's become a watch dog. I can't move or do anything without them asking me how I feel or something and even training Splinter's been letting me sit out. He never lets us sit out…unless we're dyin'. But you know how he is with this." Raph tried to reason not seeing how his younger brother flinched on the other side of the door.

"Oh wow. Sorry bro. Didn't know it was gettin' that bad for ya. Figured they'd let it go after a few days…actually I figured you'd be back to sleepin in a few days." Casey answered the goof ball act dropped as he tried to understand what was going on. He didn't know much and Raph hadn't volunteered anything except for that fact that he didn't like to sleep anymore.

That and Casey had been over once without Raph knowing when he was confined to bed, Splinter had asked him if his son had told him anything. Raph hadn't, but the vigilante could sense that there was something in Splinter's voice that made it sound more…sharp than usual. What it was he couldn't put a finger directly on it. When he was leaving he had heard a thud come from Raph's room but seeing Splinter near the door left, he knew if he were in Raph's place it would be better if his dad handled it.

"Well I ain't…and before you say anything, let me just warn you I'm close to bitin' off someone's head right now."

Instantly Casey's question was dropped.

There was a long pause.

"So...ya gonna need back up tonight?" Raph asked hopeful

"Meet me at the corners of fifth and main at midnight tonight. That is if ya think ya can handle it." Casey half taunted, half hoping his friend would just stay in and actually sleep.

"I'm there!"

"Brining your bros?"

Raph paused, and outside Mikey's breath hitched. Surely his brother wouldn't do something without them and from the sounds of it, it sounded dangerous. At least his brother wouldn't do it without him…right? Pressing closer to the door Mikey cringed inwardly listening so intently he hardly felt Don and Leo next to him.

"No, this time I'm not even tellin' em. They'll blow a gasket…yeah…got ya. Corner of fifth and main. I'll be there."

X

Mikey's face instantly fell…so his brother really was going to leave them out of something? He knew Raph liked to be alone but this…this just seemed like lunacy.

"Whatever those two are planning at least we have an address." Leo whispered to the other two trying to give reassurance. Don just looked down in thought, whatever was going on, if Raph wanted to keep them out of it, ten to none they should be in on it.

X

Raphael grinned from ear to ear, hanging up. It felt awesome! Freedom was so close, finally he could get out without his brothers worried about him or constantly on his tail about this stuff! They didn't have patrol tonight so slipping away was going to be much trickier. But it could be done, he just needed the right plan and trying to stifle a yawn he realized maybe some rest. Shooting his hammock a wistful gaze he shrugged. Maybe just this once he could actually sleep for a little while without stupid dreams…maybe all that needed to happen was for him to be exhausted and then they just disappeared.

Before he got a chance to try however he heard something outside his door. Cocking an eye ridge and growling inwardly at what it might be he tip toed closer to it, pressing his own ear to his side. Sure enough he heard his brothers outside and he could just about feel the pressure from someone's ear on the other side.

Giving an annoyed sneer, Raph didn't waste any time before wrenching his door open as three angry and sheepish looking turtles fell in on top of each other. Michelangelo however, was more hurt than angry. He was worried about his brother and instead of taking this seriously and talking despite lacking that talent, his big brother was going to be risking his neck. On what he didn't know, but he knew whenever Raph wanted to leave them out of something it was because they, most likely Leo, wouldn't approve.

Tapping his foot Raph only glared down at his siblings through bloodshot, drained eyes.

"Raph I…don't know what you're planning." Leo grunted untangling himself from the heap and almost falling back into it before drawing himself to his full height. "But whatever it is, you're not doing it."

Raph cocked an eye ridge. He wasn't going to argue, he wasn't going to start yelling instead he was going to do the worst thing he could do. He was going to challenge him. Sizing him up, Raph only came in slightly shorter than his brother, but that didn't take off any of the heat. "I've done it before."

Leo growled, hands on hips. "You've done what before?"

"You're not as hard to get around as you think fearless. Every place has a trap door, you've just spent too much time in the dojo to find this one." he smirked. There were few places they hadn't found over the years of living in their new lair. But while some of them weren't useful for than storage, one in particular was a 'back door' and Raphael had used it more than once to escape his brothers.

"You're not going out." Leo stated grabbing Raph's shoulder as he turned to leave and instantly recoiling. Raph's shoulder was burning, but it felt numb at the same time, the touch however was enough to cause Raph's fingers to flex in silent pain. It was sudden and sharp but then went away almost as soon as it came.

Donatello was helping Mikey up when Raph turned around sticking a finger in Leo's chest. "You can't stop me."

Before Leo could say anything else, Don spoke up. "Raph, Master Splinter wanted to see you when you were done talking to Casey. Sounds kind of important."

Raph nodded, turning on his heel and ignoring what Leo said. "Splinter can stop him, don't worry. He's not going anywhere tonight."

The red turtle only shook his head and sighed as he quickened his pace towards his master's room. There were many things Splinter could make him do. He could make him do chores, he could make him listen to lectures, he could just about anything. The master could even favor Leo, Raph didn't even care anymore. But the one thing no one, not even Splinter could do, was put him in a cage. And over the past few days, this place was beginning to feel very much like one.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Hope you guys liked it. Please review.

Take care

Be blessed

innocent-rebel


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. (sigh)

A/N: WOW! Have I been gone from writing over here for a long time!!! (gets hit by readers, and muses alike!) Ahhhhh! Sorry! I was doing some other stuff and I had writers block on some stuff and believe me, you don't want me to write when I have writers block! Otherwise the chapter comes out choppy and such. lol. Anyways, thank you guys so much for your support and reviews! I can't tell you how much it means to me! And if I haven't gotten back to you, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate your support, it really helps me and keeps me motivated! Anyways, it feels so good to be back. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It's summer!!!!! WHOOHOOO! ahem. Anyways. Hope you guys like this chapter. Please enjoy for that is why we write.

X

By the time Raphael arrived at his father's door, his anger was forgotten, his eyes were drooping and it took every part of his will not to fall asleep on his feet. Shaking his head, the turtle pinched himself a few times, before stepping up to the door and opening it slightly to let his father know he was there.

"Enter." Splinter's voice carried out, calm as always, yet with a parental undertone of concern.

Raphael nodded, bowed, then came into his father's room and closed the door behind him.

"Sit down my son." His father instructed.

Again Raphael nodded, and sat down across from his father at a small table where two cups of tea were set out and incense was burning. Sighing inwardly, Raphael fought to keep his eyes open and focused on the face before him. But after a few moments of silence, he found himself staring at the smoke of the incense as it lifted and flowed around the room. Ever since they were little, he had loved watching that. Why? He never knew exactly. Something about the patterns it made just seemed to enthrall him.

However now, he was barely focusing on patterns and simply trying to stay awake.

Hopefully Splinter wouldn't catch on.

However he already had.

Splinter sighed as he watched his son, before clearing his throat and drawing the teenager's attention back to him. It was a slow reaction though, as if even the movement of his head cost him a great amount of energy and focus.

"My son, do you know why I have called you here?" he began.

Raphael shook his head. Again it was a slow movement.

"No Sensei." he sighed, though deep down he had a suspicion it had to do with the phone call he'd received and his sleeping habits in general.

Splinter's whiskers twitched slightly at the half lie, but for now he'd let it slide. He wasn't so much worried about reprimanding his son on that, though they would talk, as much as he wanted to find out what was wrong. Even just watching him, it was as if he was watching someone else. There was little fire in the brown eyes behind the red, and what fire there was seemed to only a flicker. His face was drawn, his body position fighting to stay straight and though he wore a mask, his father knew their must be dark circles under his eyes.

"I called you here today, because I am worried about you, Raphael." he started, calmly, noticing how his son's head shot up completely and stared at him.

"Worried about me? Sensei, I'm fine! Really, there's nothing to worry about…" the teenager tried to defend only to be silenced as his father raised a calm hand.

"My son, as your father it is my job to worry about you and your brothers, when you are not alright." And even when you are. Though he didn't add that part. "And right now, I do not see how you could be, as you put it, fine." He said waiting to see his son's reaction. When his son didn't speak he continued.

"Ever since you returned from Ms. O'Neil's and that dimension, you have not been yourself. You have been tired, fainting, experiencing pain, even if you choose not to acknowledge it." Master Splinter waited for a second before continuing with what else he knew. "And you have been plagued with relentless dreams." he said. "Dreams that too you, seem so real, you fight them when you should be resting…" 

"So I have a few bad dreams. Everyone does, Sensei. It doesn't mean anything's wrong with me…" Raphael trailed off as his father reached over calmly and traced his hand along his arm. There were deep scratch marks there from two nights ago.

Looking up, Raphael felt his face heat up. Fortunately, green skin concealed much pink undertone.

"I think they are more than you would have me believe." His father said gently, before pulling back his arm. "I have not brought it up to you before my son, because I had hoped you would come to me when you were ready. But now that Mr. Jones has called and I suspect you are planning on meeting him tonight, I feel it is urgent we talk."

Raphael was about to speak when his father continued.

"I do not want you to go out tonight, Raphael. Not because I want to take away any of your fun…" Although it scares me, he thought, but once again didn't add. "But because even as a ninja, without proper rest, it would be too dangerous. Your reactions are slower, my son, and you haven't had proper rest in days…"

"Sensei, I'm fine! I completed trainin' today, I held my own in sparin' I'm fine! I just…" he started then stopped. He'd revealed too much already, and he knew if he continued he'd talk about the dreams. And he didn't want to go there if he didn't have to.

"My son. Please. For the sake of an old rats heart, and worry, do not go out tonight if you were planning to." He sighed seeing his son's fire return slightly, before continuing. He knew his son wasn't going to tell him about what plagued him at night. And until he knew he couldn't help him. And until he could help him…well some rules would have to be set. "Until you have proper rest, you are not to leave the lair."

"What?! Sensei no!" Raphael surprised himself with the sudden outburst, but he couldn't help it! Trapped down here? For however long these dreams decided to hang onto him? He couldn't deal with that! He wouldn't deal with that! "I'm fine! Please, Sensei, just…"

"I am sorry my son. I do wish to take away your freedom, but I would much rather have you safe here and angry with me for doing so, then outside and injured." he sighed. He expected rage to be in his son's eyes when he said this, he expected some kind of rebuttal…but all there was, was a look of hollow defeat. But there was determination as well. And that was what his father feared.

"Is that all?" Raphael asked stoic voice.

His father sighed and nodded.

"Yes. That is all, my son, you may leave now if you wish…but if you ever wish to talk with me about what is wrong. Please, my door is always open."

"Hai Sensei." He nodded, stood up, bowed then exited only to find his brothers watching from the living room.

"What?" He sneered.

"Nothing." Mikey instantly held up his hands and turned back to his game guy. Though from the corner of his eye he watched his older brother.

"Are you alright?" Don ventured.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Raph snapped and headed towards his room.

Leo sighed and before Raph was completely out of reach, clamped a hand on his shoulder. Again pain shot through the red clad turtle, but he didn't let it show as he turned to face his brother.

"Let go." He snarled, his temper flared again as his master's words continued to sink in.

"Raph…listen, bro. You really need to get some rest. No going out with Casey tonight or…"

"Back off, Leo! I got the same bit from Master Splinter. Don't go out tonight, let you all know what's supposedly wrong! Well guess what? Nothin's wrong!" he growled, shoving his brother's hand off, stalking to his room and closing the door with a heavy slam.

"That could have gone better." Mikey mused, concern laced his joking voice.

X

Once inside his room, Raph swung up on his hammock and sighed. Why had he exploded? He wasn't mad at Leo. Not anymore anyways. His family was just trying to help him. Letting out a sigh, Raphael turned over on his stomach.

Ever since he started to loose sleep his emotions had been even more on edge than before and even he knew they were getting out of control. He was a little surprised he hadn't had more of an outburst when he had been dealing with Splinter before. Especially with the fact his father had forbidden him from any topside activity. Ok sure he wasn't completely fine, but that didn't matter. He knew he could hold his own!

It didn't matter if anyone else knew it at the moment.

He knew it!

But he also knew his family was right and that he did need to get some sleep. A slow smile crept across his face as he rolled over on his side and grabbed what was once a broken alarm clock. His father said he couldn't go out until he got some proper rest…well for him a proper rest meant only a few hours. If he slept from now until a half an hour from when he was supposed to meet Casey then technically he wasn't breaking a rule. And since his brothers didn't know where they were meeting, they couldn't follow him! And even if they called Casey Raph suspected his friend wouldn't tell them so easily. Casey was a bonehead at times, but he was stupid.

Raph grinned slightly as memories of what his dad had said to him ran through his head. He knew what his dad meant, but it was how he took it that as going to count. Plus he had his own secret door that not even Leo knew about. His smile quickly faded though as he remembered how worried about him his father had also been. That wasn't what he wanted.

After setting the alarm, Raph placed it back on his shelf near his hammock and grabbed at a small blanket he kept by his feet.

He knew he would most likely wind up having a bad dream again, but right now as thoughts drifted in of later that night, he sighed in half awake contentment and decided to let his body win as sleep claimed him.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Well I hoped you guys liked it! Once again sorry it took so long to update! I had written this chapter before but I lost it and honestly I like this one a lot better. Please review and let me know what you thought.

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. (sigh)

A/N: Hey all! Back with Chapter 4! Once again, I just wanted to say thank you all so much for your support! It means so much to me and I really appreciate it. You guys rock. Anyways, lots of stuff going on over here, and it's kind of crazy. But I really want to try and finish this story. I really like writing it, and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. I'm trying to get back to everyone but things are piling up, so if I take longer to get back to someone I'm really sorry. Anyways, there's not much more to say except to say please enjoy for that is why we write…

X

_Stifling a yawn, after a surprisingly relaxing sleep, Raphael opened his eyes a crack and looked over at his alarm clock. It was past the time it was supposed to have woken him up, but it hadn't gone off. Growling at the stupid alarm clock and how many times he'd dropped it, he pushed the covers back, and swung down from his hammock, hitting the ground with a soft thud._

_Stretching out his arms, Raph smiled slightly. He'd forgotten how good waking up from a good sleep felt. It had only been a few days, but even in that short amount of time…_

_Shaking off this thought, Raphael placed his weapons in his belt and headed towards the door of his room, and was outside of his room in a matter of seconds. It was brighter outside than he remembered his home ever being, as if it was bathed in the natural light that never reached their home._

_Raph quirked an eyeridge at this and wondered what was going on. Maybe Donny had built something to give them more light? Yeah! That was it…but why would Don build something like that? They had plenty of light…_

_Raph shook it off._

_"Brain boy was always inventin' new things." he muttered and was surprised he was talking to himself. After all if he was trying to sneak out, then shouldn't he be quiet…as well as going a different way?!_

_What was going on?!_

_Before he could think much about this though, a sudden buzzing noise from behind him, caught his attention. Whipping around, Raph put his fists up in a defensive manner._

_But there was nothing. There was nothing and yet the buzzing noise continued._

_"Mikey?" he asked, even though he knew he was giving away his position._

_Nothing._

_"Donny?" he called again, maybe Don had teamed up with Mikey and they were trying to scare him._

_Still no answer though. Only the continuation of buzzing noises, and it was getting closer._

_"Leo?!" he finally settled on, though he knew unless Leo was annoyed with him more than usual or just wanted to show a more playful side of oldest brother, which was scarcely done, his brother probably wasn't in on whatever was going on._

_Only buzzing noises closer as if to answer._

_"Sensei?!" Raph cried out, and felt his heart start to pound. He knew his sensei wouldn't be in on any prank. It was to hard to restore order after one…but he would rather have his dad pulling a prank on him, then this feeling of familiarity that was starting to creep in._

_Again no answer, only the buzzing which was starting to get closer._

_Taking out his weapons, Raph positioned himself for an attack._

_"I don't know what's goin' on here, but whatever it is, it ends now!" He ordered and brandished his Sai as if to show whoever was buzzing closer to him he wasn't going to be taken down easy._

_However as the source of the noise came into sight, Raph lost all nerve. It was a large hornet like creature, with gaping fangs, and crimson colored appendages that seemed spiked on the end. It was taller than Raph by several feet, and just under it were a multitude of smaller versions of itself. And they were racing towards him._

_No! He was back in the dream!_

_Sheathing his Sai, Raphael turned around and ran, frantically calling for his family. But instead of finding his family he found himself running down an endless hallway and then tripping into a forest similar to the one they had been in, in that other dimension._

_Shaking off the fall, Raphael pushed himself up and started to run again, as the hornets got closer, and screeched as the pulled back and took aim at him with their darts._

_"Wake up!" He ordered himself as he avoided several of the darts, and pinched himself so hard it broke the skin. "Wake up! Wake up!" He ordered again and again, as he continued to run._

_His breath was coming in short gasps now as he continued to run, and began to feel his very real fatigue catch up with him._

_He couldn't slow down now though! He couldn't!_

_They were right behind him!_

_"Wake up!" he ordered himself again and again, which diverted his attention from a large branch in the forest. He fell over it and landed on the ground with a hard thud. He tried to stand up, but only felt dizzy as he did…_

_"Uhhh." He let out a hiss of pain as he used a tree for support, and looked back to see that a hornet's dart had pierced his arm. "No…not again…" He muttered as he fell to the ground._

_He couldn't move! He couldn't get away and they were closing in! He had feeling in his arms though and tried to use them to crawl away, however he was only another foot away, before he felt something small land on his back._

_No! No! No more bugs! Please no more bugs!_

_Turning around in an attempt to crush whatever was on his back Raphael gasped in horror, at what he saw. Just over him, was the large hornet, which let out an ear splitting screech as it leaned towards him. However for a moment he was more concerned about the other hornets that were running up and all over him. Pinning him down and biting him._

_He let out cries of pain and fear as he struggled to get them off. He waved his arms wildly and scraped down his arms to get them off._

_"Let me go!" he cried and banged his arm into a rock that was near him to get them off. But they had no intention of letting him go and instead only continued to sting him. He hated bugs!_

_"Get offa me!" he yelled again and thrashed as hard as he could, but he was finding it harder and harder to do so, as more bit. Their poison slowly setting under his skin and making it harder and harder to move…as well as he was again shot with another hornet's dart._

_And in one last desperate attempt, he growled and flipped himself over hoping that could crush his attackers._

However the only thing it did was wake him up from this nightmare with a hard smack against the stone floor of his room.

X

"Uhhhg…" Raphael groaned, as he kneeled on the floor, and shivered, while caressing his hand over the stone floor. As if to assure himself it wasn't a dirt floor in the forest somewhere.

He knew the dream was over, that it was all just a dream…at least that's what he told himself, so he wouldn't loose anymore dignity and let the burning in his eyes overflow into tears. He shouldn't be this afraid! It was just a dream!

He knew it was just a dream, he'd had these stupid dreams ever since he had gotten back from Aprils. And every time they got worse, every time he felt more pain, and weaker.

Breathing hard, Raphael rubbed at his eyes with the heel of one of his hands to remove the burning, and found he wasn't just on the verge of crying, he was also shaking. And his dad wondered why he wouldn't talk to him about this dream!

It was only about a childish fear that was amplified because of what had happened. And yet he had let it shake him up so much, that he was on the ground trying to stifle the burning in his eyes.

Heh, a childish reaction, for a childish dream.

Raphael shuddered slightly as he ran his hand over the stone once more and forced himself to sit back, but instead of holding his balance he fell to his side with another groan. Looking over, Raph let out of a hiss of pain as he removed his one hand from his arm. He had done it again.

Been so determined to get rid of those hornets, he had clawed himself and now his arm was raw and bleeding. And it hurt. It hurt so bad!

Shooting a look upward at his hammock, Raph shook his head. It was so twisted up and around, it was no wonder he had fallen out of it.

But it was just a dream. Just a dream, and now it was over.

Over…

Letting out a startled gasp, Raph looked up at the clock with his heart pounding. If he missed the time he was supposed to be up and out of here…

But fortunately the clock blazed an 11: 28. He wasn't late.

As quickly as he could, Raph swung himself back up to the shelf and turned off his alarm clock. He knew he'd have to move faster than he intended to, because there was no doubt in his mind that someone heard that racket. Jumping back down, Raphael scooped up his Sai's, placed them in his belt then took out the small spiked bands that slipped over his hands and feet.

He felt tired, and he knew he shouldn't be going out, but after he grabbed some cloth from off the floor and tied it around his arm, he took his position in front of one of his walls.

He didn't hear anyone by the door, so that was good. Taking in a deep breath, Raphael, approached the wall with ninja stealth, and then scaled it. He then turned towards his door, as if a spider himself and opened it a crack.

There was no one there, but he heard noises starting in both Leo's room and Don's room. Mikey fortunately was a hard sleeper, and Sensei…well he moved so silently Raph could only hope he was asleep. But he couldn't spend time waiting to see, so he opened the door the rest of the way and slid out, still attached to the wall. Then he climbed the wall, and sincerely hoped this wasn't one of those times he passed out from being tired.

Shaking off the what ifs, Raphael continued upward until he was at the crossing point and latched onto the ceiling. Being tired and upside down, weren't good combinations. But he was almost there.

Taking a deep breath, Raphael concentrated solely on where he was going and after a few more moments, he was finally there. As gently as he could, he smoothed his hand over where he knew there was a break in the stone. The first time he had found this he had been terrified their home would collapse. However when he pushed, up he found out it was only another secret passage.

He had explored it later that night, many months ago, and found it was a small tunnel that led to the surface like the elevator did. This time though, it wasn't automatic, but instead had rungs built around it, for climbing up. And when you reached the end of the tunnel, you pushed up, and found yourself in a back alleyway. As if whoever had made this particular exit, wanted to make sure no matter what was over it, they could get out. Raphael understood how this done after seeing the way the cover was lined. It could be smoothed over with concrete, but there was a blade that wrapped around the middle, so that when pushed from the bottom, it would go up and break through whatever was over it.

The blade, Raphael had never seen anything that looked so sharp in his life, but after a few times of using it, the blade wasn't even necessary anymore, and the piece of stone moved easily.

For a split second as he heard more movement coming from below, he debated about going. But as usual his untamed side, got the better of him and he pushed upward.

He was so tired of being caged. Of this constant fear that lingered in his dreams.

So he pushed upward, slipped into the small tunnel and placed the part of the roof back into place, before starting up the ladder. A few minutes later, Raphael pushed up on the other side and broke free into the night air.

The turtle couldn't help but grin as the fresh air wrapped around him and he breathed in a lungful of cool night air. This was why, he couldn't be trapped.

Before he could get to caught up in relaxing though, he pulled himself completely out of the ground, pushed the cement back in place, and stood up.

Again he took in a breath of fresh air, held it, then released as he took off running towards his friend and the fight.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Well…I hope you guys liked it. This chapter gave me some trouble, but I kinda like how it turned out. Please let me know what you think.

Be Blessed

Your friend

innocent-rebel


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT only plot and original characters are mine.

A/N: Wow. It has been an insanely long time since I've been over here! (looks around) whoah. Lot's changed. Sorry about the absences! I've been preoccupied with other stuff, two AP classes for school, and just stuff in general! Thanks for all the reviews, sorry I haven't gotten back to anybody. Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!

Warnings: This chapter does have some drug reference!! Just to let you know.

Definitions: Freebies (used in this context) it means someone who is free from drugs up until their first try. Think people who just try it at a party or something.

X

It was five past twelve when Raphael finally rounded the last corner and saw the silhouette of his friend, Casey, leaning against the side of the building near a street light. A tipped up hockey mask, and a baseball bat resting on his hip were clear indications he was annoyed at having to wait even five extra minutes before they started their 'dragon hunt.' Raph smirked and rolled his eyes, but still crept closer in silence just to make sure it was really Casey.

He rubbed his eyes a few times, then nodded to himself. Yep. It was Casey all right. Who currently was tapping his foot as well in impatience and snarling at the nothing across the street from him.

"Yo Case!" Raph whispered and came into sight.

Casey turned towards his friend and glared.

"Finally! I thought ya weren't gonna show! Another minute and I woulda had all the fun by myself!"

"I'm only five minutes late! Was harder gettin' here than usual." Raph defended as he took out a Sai and twirled it nonchalantly.

"Yer bros catch ya?" Casey asked as he lowered his hockey mask and they started walking.

"Nah. If they had I wouldn't be here."

"So what slowed ya down?"

"Does it matter?" Raph sighed.

"Yer the one who brought it up." Casey shrugged, trying not to show he was concerned about his friend. He looked…well he didn't know if terrible was the right word to describe it. Beat down was probably better. There was a part of Casey that was more in tune with common sense that told him to stop! To hold off on this thing with the Dragons, and find another night when his friend wasn't so beat down! But the more adrenaline pumped part of himself was shoving out this voice of reason, and focusing his mind simply on bashing Dragon skulls! Besides, Raph was getting enough beef with his family…why add to it?

Raph rolled off the statement.

"So what we bustin' up tonight?"

"Dragons. Duh." Casey answered.

Raph palmed his face.

"No! I mean what kinda raid is it? Drug raid, gang fight, illegal weapon crap, what?"

"No sure man. Probably drugs or weapons though. Dragon's are really stickin' their freakin' hands inta the powder business nowadays. From what I hear, rock's of crack crap, and nickel bags are on the rise. Anyone can get 'em now if ya know someone in the Dragons."

"And where's there's freakin' drugs, there's freakin' weapons. Man our city's really hittin' low." Raph sighed. He hated drugs! He'd seen people up high on drugs before and not even caring if they were killed because they were in la la land, and being killed because they didn't move. He'd seen girls selling their bodies so either them or someone else, could get drugs. Heck he'd probably seen more of this kind of junk in one night than would ever see the front pages of a paper or reach anyone. No one knew what drugs did…the effect they had. No one knew until they'd been there…and the drug dealers were plenty happy with keeping it that way.

Raph spat at the mere thought of them. On his long list of scum, dealers were at the bottom, which meant they were at the top of the slime.

"Not the city man. Buildin's don't do drugs, and cement don't shoot people. It's who's walkin' on 'em that call the shots and make the deals." Casey said his voice taking a tender quality as he thought of his neighborhood and the people there. People to afraid to come out of doors at night because of this…couldn't even step out of their own doors and get their newspaper cause they were so afraid.

Tonight though, that was gonna change. At least for a little bit and a few people, things would be better. Whatever they cleared out of this crap was cleared. Never used, never touched, never sold, never hurting anyone. And that's how they both liked it!

However…there was still this nudging at the back of his mind…

Looking over at Raph Casey felt a small wave of brotherly concern he'd started feeling when realizing how much like brothers they all were. How much they were like younger brothers.

"Ya sure ya can do this…" Casey asked, noticing his friend try and stifle a yawn. "This ain't gonna be easy…we could pick a different night or somethin',…" he trailed off noticing they were almost there.

Raph growled at him.

"Ferget it! I didn't come all this way just ta turn back cause ya wanna act like I'm a kid!"

"You are a kid…" Casey teased trying to lighten the mood.

"Better than bein' an old man like you!" Raph shot back and Casey smirked at the diffused situation, though he was also worried. Normally Raph would have been…he wouldn't have just let it go like that!

Before he could think more on it however, they were there. Now just around the corner from the slew of activity taking place. It was near an old construction site, abandoned because the foundation was faulty, and now aging beams and rusting metal stood in place as if waiting for someone to come and finish the intended project.

"C'mon get this movin'!" Hun's voice echoed over the scene from the shadows and Casey and Raph exchanged a look as they watched.

At least ten trucks were their with fifty Dragons. All working as one: unloading from larger trucks and packing into smaller domestic sized ones. Some were unloading huge plant bundles that were definitely marijuana, while others handled smaller bags of what looked like sugar. Though they knew it was anything but that. Others unloaded chemicals and other things that a methane lab would need to have, and still others were unloading huge things of cargo, that could either be drugs, weapons or something else.

"Whoah." Raph whispered.

Casey nodded.

"Told ya. These guys are goin' nuts with this stuff."

"And if they ain't stopped this junks gonna get ta the junkies and freebies faster than the cops can keep up with!" Raph nodded in disgust. He hated drugs! There was no limit to how much he hated them! Or how much he hated Hun.

A slight pain ran through his arms, but he ignored it as he focused. Either he fought now, or people would die later!

One last time, Casey looked at him.

"Ya sure…"

Raph nodded, not even becoming angry.

"I'm sure." he then grinned. "Let's go skin some dragons!"

Casey mirrored the grin.

"Who we take out first?"

Raph sneered and locked eyes on Hun. That oaf had termination tattooed all over his ugly face!

"Lets take out the big boy first. Then we'll go after the hatchlings."

The vigilante nodded and gripped his baseball bat tighter.

"On the count of three." Raph took out his Sai and prepared for battle, ignoring the voice in the back of his head that was screaming at him to stop!

"One." Casey started.

"Two." Raph whispered.

"Goongala!" Casey shouted the new three and both of them leapt from the shadows, headlong into the fray where the odds were suicidal.

X

"Mikey! Wake up, Mike!" Leo ordered as he shook his youngest brother awake who clutched his old teddy bear and blanket in defiance.

"No…" he whined childishly.

"Mikey wake up! Raphael is missing…" Donatello hissed at his youngest brother and sighed in relief once Mikey's eyes popped open and he sat up.

"What?"

"We don't know how he did it with the sensor I placed in all the exits, but somehow he managed to get past us!" Don growled. Stupid hothead!

"Is he alright?" Mikey instantly asked.

"We don't know yet, but I'm sure he's fine." Leo assured. "But we have to go now and try to find him!"

"But we don't know where he is…" Mikey said in a tired and worried voice as he slipped off his bed and hurriedly slid his pads on, tied his mask and armed himself.

"Yes we do. Corner of Fifth and Main. Or at least, that's where he's meeting Casey." Don answered. Their phone system wasn't the most private, and with how loud Casey could be it was no wonder they'd overheard that.

Mikey nodded, and soon they were all heading out the door at a running pace.

"Does Master Splinter know?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, he's waiting for April to call him back, since she's trying to get a hold of Casey and our dear idiotic sibling didn't take his shell cell!" Leo snapped in anger. He swore if Raph got himself killed he'd beat him black and blue!

Mikey nodded at the information and only hoped Casey had the shell cell Don made for him awhile back with him and on. Though knowing Casey, that wasn't likely…

To Be Continued…

A/N: Don't you just hate cliff hangers? (grins and gets mauled by random person) What?! Anyways. Yeah. Not much to really say. Hope you guys liked it! Please let me know.

Be Blessed

Your friend

innocent-rebel


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT, only plot and original characters are mine.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! It means a lot to me. Sorry I scared ya. This story is definitely not discontinued. It was just kinda…not active for awhile. But now it's back and yeah. You know the drill. Anyways, thanks for reading guys. It means a lot to me. Please enjoy the chapter.

X

April was frantic as she tried to get a hold of Casey. She had been trying to get a hold of him on the old, beat up thing he called a phone for the past fifteen minutes and all she'd reached was his voice message. In her opinion his voice message was to laid back for the kind of life he led.

Trying again, April muttered, snarled and threatened the man who wasn't there as the phone rang. After a few seconds she reached the voice message again.

"Yo. This Case'. I ain't pickin' up cause I can't or ya annoy me. So leave a message and if I get back ta ya, you'll know which. Goongala." and his voice message ended.

April was near screaming, and almost turned the phone off to try again when suddenly he answered.

"Yo, whoever this is, this ain't a good time! Unless ya wanna…" he was speaking in rapid tones and the sounds of a fight were all around him.

"Casey?! Casey where are you?!" April all but screamed.

"April?! I know ya can't…get enough of me, but babe this ain't a good time!" Casey answered and then swore and the sound of wood meeting flesh was heard.

"Casey…"

"April, I gotta go…me and Raph are…"

"CASE MOVE!!!" Raph screamed, his voice carrying over to the phone and April felt her chest clench in fear and her breath catch as shots were fired.

"Where are you?!" her voice was desperate as the sounds of growling and pain were heard. She heard him yell out in pain and the phone was dropped, skidding across what sounded like pavement. "Casey?! CASEY?!" April screamed.

"The…old…construction site. North of…" instead of Casey's Raph's voice came over the phone, his voice pained and barely able to form a word. He managed to tell her where they were though and after that, pleaded with her. "April…we need…get my bros…I…we're in over our heads…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" There was a long sharp scream and April clenched the phone tighter. Before she could say anything though, the line went dead, the sound of a gun still echoing through the lines.

She was frozen for only a moment, before she jerked herself back to reality and called Master Splinter.

X

Blood was everywhere, running own his back, his front, even flowing in front of his eyes, putting everything in red as Raphael tried to push himself up off the ground. His left arm was weak, soaked in blood and throbbing in pain. But it was better than his right arm…

Raph mentally cursed and berated himself. He should have seen that sooner! Hun was always ready with dirty tricks like this! He should have known he'd have a gun cocked and ready. Heck, he'd gone into the fight wondering if they had guns…but as time went on, from when they first attacked, he lost himself to the dance of violence. Almost loosing himself completely in the red haze as he fought, dodging and rolling and slicing.

There were several spilled bags now of hundreds of thousands of dollars all over, the contents tainted with red from the fight.

Everything was going fine! It was…Raph wasn't even sure how to describe it! For the first time in days he felt as if he was moving again. As if he had more than just a small reason to keep his attention and senses alert! And in that, he'd lost himself. It was only for a second, after thinking Hun was down. It was only for a split second after taking down a purple dragon and growing slightly hazy despite his motivation…it only took one second for Hun to get up, grab a gun from a crate and aim it at Casey. The man had been fighting and trying to talk at the same time, not seeing Hun as he set aim, ready to kill him.

Raph had seen it though. He'd seen Hun take aim, and even pull the trigger…and then he'd run. Faster than he had in days, he ran towards Casey, screaming at him to move and just in time pushing his friend out of the way. Although not completely, and hurting himself as well.

This gun, this new weapon, had been powerful enough that not only had the bullet pierced Raphael's right shoulder, but it had gone through and only stopped once it hit Casey's left shoulder.

Raph had hit the ground after that, knowing they were in over their heads, knowing they could die. As a ninja, he was taught to accept death…but as a teenager, as just himself, he didn't want to die. He didn't want Casey to die…so he'd used what strength he could muster as the fatigue set back in, to drag himself towards the phone. He'd managed to get it, and let April know where they were. Praying back up would get here soon…and then the conversation had been cut short, when Hun came up behind him, and shot him in his right arm again. This time, lower though. Taunting him. Acting as he was going to make his right arm a target. See how much pain he could cause.

But he'd changed his plan. And instead, now had Casey, beaten, near unconscious, and wounded, held up by two other gang members. Ready to kill him. Unless Raph could stop him.

"C'mon freak! If yer gonna make a move, do it already!" Hun taunted and laughed as the turtle struggled. His face the color of his mask. "Or are ya answerin' my challenge? Are ya tellin' me ta kill him?" Hun smirked and the others grinned sadistically. When they'd first pulled Casey up, Hun had given the turtle the option, fight him and win. Or let the vigilante die.

That had been five minutes ago, and still the turtle was struggling to even collect his breath. And worst of all, sleep was beckoning to him, and the burning pain was swallowing him; but Raph continued to struggle. Loosing blood…but still defiant. It was no wonder Hun hated him the most. He had the hardest spirit to break.

"If ya ain't up in thirty seconds, I'll kill him!" Hun finally sighed. He enjoyed watching the struggle, but he also wanted to end this. And if Raphael fought him, he could claim he killed the turtle in battle. If not, he'd have to bring him back to his Master. And if the turtle stayed down and he was forced to bring him to Shredder, at least he'd have killed Jones.

"Stay…down!" Casey barely managed to order, before receiving a swift punch to the face.

"Shut up!" One of the Dragons with spiked blue hair and a nose ring snarled.

Raph gasped in pain as he tried to stand but fell. He had to do this! He knew he had to…but he was so tired, and he hurt so bad. Being shot was nothing like was portrayed on the T.V. or movies. But despite this…he had to. This situation was partially his fault! If he had just stayed at home, or better yet agreed they should wait on busting these Dragons, they wouldn't be in this situation. If he had just listened to his father, and to what his own body was telling him…

But he hadn't. And he couldn't change that. All he could do was change now…and now was either he stood, or Casey died. The life of his friend was on his shoulders, if he failed to stand, Casey's blood was on his hands…and he didn't think he could deal with.

"Three…Two…" Hun counted sadistically, ready to beat the man to death, relishing the preconceived sounds of a body breaking under his hands. Then he stopped, and glared at the turtle.

Raph was barely even conscious, hardly even able to move, but somehow, he was beginning to stand up. His legs were shaking, and his chest was heaving from pain and adrenaline. But still he stood, and in another second put up his Sai in a defensive position.

"Bring…it on."

Hun blinked, then surprisingly laughed and cracked his knuckles. He'd crush this turtle with his bare hands!

Without a word Hun lunged forward, his eyes seething with hate and pleasure as he charged towards Raphael, expecting something, but never expecting what came next. His fist connected solidly with Raphael's face and sent him flying backwards, skidding across the pavement and into the side of a truck.

Hun paused. When Raphael had gotten up, he'd never expected him not to fight back! Or at least not to move. Even though he hadn't been expecting it though, he wasn't one to think twice about this gift. He would kill this turtle!

"Raph…" Casey breathed as he watched the scene. Watched as Hun came closer, grinning sadistically and cracking his knuckles, then pulled Raph up by his throat and began to beat him.

Throughout all this, the turtle only jolted with the pain. Fatigue and wounds finally catching up to him. Making him vaguely aware of what, if anything was going on…

He hadn't won though. That thought repeated over and over in his tired mind. He hadn't won…but at least he'd stood. At least…he'd tried.

Through eyes that saw in slits of red, Raph watched as Hun pulled back his fist a final time, in what he thought could be his last hit, when suddenly noises caught his attention. No….not noises. Voices…

Battle cries. Followed by the sounds of war as three…no. Four others arrived were now fighting…four others…his family…

"My son!" He thought he heard his father, but as darkness swarmed and consumed him, he couldn't be sure.

There were noises all around him. Even more were coming…he heard someone say something about them. Raph heard someone shout something about the Foot Ninja's…but he didn't know if that was real, or just him. He didn't even know where he was anymore…only that he was now trapped in darkness. Trapped in dreams.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter! I worked really hard on it. What's going to happen to Raph? You'll find out. Until then, enjoy the cliff hanger! Aren't I so nice? (grins and gets hit) Please let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading.

Be Blessed

Your friend

innocent-rebel


	7. Chapter 7

(creeps back in sheepishly) Umm hey guys! Wow it's been an insanely long time since I wrote for this story huh? (gets beat up and maimed)…ok! Anyways, I'm so sorry about the exceedingly late update! I've been writing a lot of other stuff and kinda lost my motivation for these stories. As well as the next chapter of this story that I had all written and ready to post but then I was having issues with uploading stuff and so I waited and then it got lost and…(gets hit by a brick) So anyways. To those who still have faith! Who still want to know how this story goes, this is for you my friends!

X

A harsh growl escaped Michelangelo's mouth as he leapt into battle and spun himself around, striking an oncoming ninja and dragon. His mind was racing with worry for his brother and was numb at the same time as he dodged a katana aimed for his heart then flipped himself upward, catching his attacker under their chin with a spin kick sent them back into a dragon fighting Don.

He couldn't believe his brother had been so stupid! He couldn't…he knew Raph didn't always think things through but this was his life he was playing with! Raph could have been killed! Would have been if they hadn't arrived in time!

Michelangelo twirled around in sync with his weapons as he surveyed where his family was. Leonardo was currently in the center of a group of ninjas and the more that fell the more there seemed to be. Donatello was battling with the few remaining dragons and a few foot. Maneuvering between metal beams and using the environment as another weapon.

The youngest turtle flipped backward, avoiding a strike from a tonfa and then slammed his nunchuck into the base of the ninja's neck as he swooped around and spun, slamming his fist into another's face. Doing so, Mikey caught a brief glimpse of his father who was protecting Raph and Casey and seemed to be the most aggressive fighter out of the four. The ninjas around him seemed to drop in pairs at least, and everyone was becoming wary to approach the rat.

Then again ever since he had impaled Hun's bulky arm with his walking stick and then pulled it out and slit the man across the chest with his claw, it was clear to everyone he wasn't someone they wanted to deal with. But they still came…

"Master!" Mikey yelled as his eyes caught a glint of metal and he flipped over several heads then ran on top of others and met a ninja in the air who had a scythe. Mikey heard something crack as his feet connected with the man's ribs, but hardly thought of it as he ripped the weapon away and landed next to his father.

Splinter nodded to his son but did nothing more as he kept his attention on the fight, ignoring the few wounds he'd received and the red that fell in front of his eyes. He wasn't sure if it was his blood or his attackers, but he knew the blood on his robe belonged to his son. His precious son…

The rat cursed in low Japanese as he flipped over to Raphael's other side and struck an all to high purple dragon with a pipe. The weapon clattered to the ground and the man struck a truck making a dent.

_As soon as we are home, Raphael is grounded for a month!_ Splinter thought to himself as more and more foot ninja's came and as their skill seemed to double he almost wondered if they would make it home. He shook the thought off. Of course they would! This was his family and he would not loose his family…

This thought was cut off as two large and powerful ninja's attacked him and Michelangelo with bladed fists, forcing them just beyond reach of Raphael and Casey.

The taller of the two ninja quickly moved to stab Raph while he could but soon found himself on the ground in pain and his hand missing.

"You will not touch my son!" the rat's voice echoed throughout the night as the master pointed a short blood stained sword at the ninja. Before he could attack again though the other ninja had flipped over him and in a quick movement flung Michelangelo at him. Splinter quickly moved to avoid hurting his son, but as he did a large fist connected with his back, knocking the wind out from him and slamming him a few feet away.

"We'll leave that for the master!" Hun grinned at the rat sadistically and just as Michelangelo moved he brought out a small hand gun and managed to shoot the turtle in the thigh.

"AHHHH!" Mikey screamed as he hit the ground, his eyes widening as the gun was brought up again and he could see a strong ninja throw Raph over his shoulder.

"Say goodbye freak!" Hun sneered as he readied the gun for another round. Before he could fire it though the gun was sliced in half as a blur of blue fell from the sky and now stood before Hun, swords ready. The man snarled as he saw this, but smirked all the same when he saw the ninja making an escape with the red turtle over his shoulder.

"Don't get excited!" Leo hissed seeing the flicker of dark joy on the man's face. Donatello was going after Raph. And whatever anyone said about him being a peaceful being, right now he was than ready to break whoever stood in his way of saving his brother.

"Oh but I am…" Hun sneered as he backed off a few feet and several foot ninjas dropped from shadows, accompanied by several of the dragons tougher fighters. The man briefly spared a sneer at Jones. He wanted to kill him and he wanted to make sure it was done in the most painful and humiliating way possible, but he couldn't do that tonight. Not with the commotion that had now been caused. So he'd come back for him later.

"Kill 'em all! But make sure ya save Jones for me!" Hun yelled as he was cut out of the circle that now encased his enemies and with a quick flick of the wrist him a smoke screen enveloped him and in what seemed like an instant he, as well as the foot and several purple dragons were gone.

X

Donatello grit his teeth as he flipped over a gap between two buildings and landed on his feet with a hard thud as he chased after the man who carried his brother. Inwardly cursing, the purple turtle shot looks around to see if he could use anything to get ahead of this man, and stop him. So far though he saw nothing and had to simply keep running.

Seconds later though, as they were coming to another gap, an idea struck him and he pulled out his bo staff. Then just as they reached the edge instead of simply jumping over he stuck his weapon in the ground and used it to launch himself higher and farther than he had before and landed two feet in front of the ninja.

"Let him go!" he ordered swinging his weapon into a defensive position.

The ninja backed up some, but when he tried to start running again, Donatello moved with impossible speed and was in front of him again.

"You have two seconds to put my brother down!" he yelled as he watched.

The ninja growled, but then let Raph drop to the ground. Instead of walking away though, he attacked with as much ferocity as Donatello thought he could handle. The ninja became a blur of fists and feet and Don struggled to keep up as he dodged and spun around. But he had to win this! He knew he had to! If he didn't Raph would die and he had no doubt he would as well.

Bending backwards he managed to avoid a hard strike to his face then came up and kicked with his legs. He was only met with air though and barely had time to bring up his weapon as a sword descended down on him. Wood splintered against the metal, but Don held fast as he pushed against the ninja then dropped back slightly and managed to strike him in his neck with his fingers. Instantly the ninja began to gasp for air, but he didn't fall to his knees as most would have after that strike, instead he continued to fight, but after that attack he was slower.

Still he had managed to strike him several times and Don now had a long slit running down his arm. But he wouldn't fall and instead had managed to strike the man several more times in the throat as well as slam his bo staff down on a nerve in the man's shoulder.

The foot ninja was now hardly standing and what had started as a violent attack in his favor was now a situation where the turtle had gained the upper hand and was pressing it as hard as he could. The ninja continued to fight though. To do whatever he could, but as a hard foot connected with skull and sent him crashing into the ground, he was only lost to darkness.

Donatello took in a deep breath as the battle ended and only then realized how wobbly his legs felt as he moved towards his brother. Kneeling down by Raph's side, Don moved and began to check his brother's vitals with a shaking hand. He inwardly gasped at the heat of his brother's flesh, and though he was unconcious, his face was a mask of terror and pain. But he would survive. He needed immiedate help but he would survive, he had to.

"As soon as we get home, you're in so much trouble!" Don scolded gently as he began removing his pads and belt to make makeshift bandages for some of the more terrible wounds. He knew his 

brother couldn't hear him, but it made him feel better talking to him all the same. However any good feeling left him as a sudden arrow shot into his arm from the shadows.

Biting back a cry of pain, Don grabbed his weapon and stood, only to find his vision was going black and he was loosing all feeling in his body.

"Whhhaaaa.." he slurred as his jaw lost control and he slumped to the ground, fading into darkness just as he heard Hun's voice.

X

Leonardo gasped in pain as he staggered across the rooftops trying to find his brothers. After the fight they'd barely survived they'd managed to steal away into the shadows until April could come get them. Once she did, they got in the van and tried to contact Don. However they were only met with a disconnected signal that sent worry through them all and despite Master Splinter wanting to do it, Leonardo had been the least injured and thus went looking instead.

Leo hissed as he walked along, holding his side. Least injured didn't mean not injured at all. He only hoped Don and Raph were doing ok. Though if Don's shell cell was disconnected he doubted he was alright and he knew Raph wasn't!

Shaking his head, Leo continued his search that had spanned over two hours now and he was sure anyone who saw their roofs the next morning would have questions about the two toed blood stained footprints. He couldn't care about that right now though, all he could do was continue to search and hope for the best.

As he climbed up to another roof however, his hope seemed to die as he saw pools of blood. His eyes widened in pain and fear as he pushed himself up and managed to run over there.

"No, no, no no!" he heard his voice franticly cry out as he saw there was nothing but pools of blood, a broken shell cell and a piece of blood stained paper…

With wide eyes, Leo snatched up the paper and tore it open, his eyes reading the Japanese characters in a panic. Once he had finished reading it the third time, Leonardo felt his hands shake and he had to stop himself from tearing the paper in half.

Those miserable monsters had his brothers! They had them and they had the nerve to taunt them with this?! To spell out what they intended to do with them?!

Letting out a scream of rage, Leo tucked the letter and cell into his belt as he snatched out his own cell and called home as he searched the roof. Aside from the blood there was nothing else there now. Not even a trail he could follow for more than a few feet!

But that didn't matter! They would find them! They had to!

To be continued…

Hope you all liked it. I haven't written for these guys in so long so I hope it's good! Please let me know what you thought. Once again sorry to have kept you waiting for so long!

Be Blessed

Your friend

innocent-rebel


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: The sad fact of it is, I do not own the TMNT, but when I take over the world that might just change! (looks at scary lawyers) Ok, maybe not. (sigh)

A/N: Hey guys! First of all, I want to apologize for the once again long stretch between updates. My reason for this is not because I want to keep you in suspense (for long) or abandon a story, but...the thing is I learned a long time ago that sometimes you have to wait for the right time to write. You can't force it. Sometimes you can, sometimes you have to. But other times, you have to wait and write drafts and give yourself a chance to think things through. Otherwise that leaves me with the feeling of doing a less than good job, plus I see plot holes even if others don't, and I don't feel like I'm giving you guys a good story. Which stinks, because I really want to! So I'm really sorry I've been gone for so long, but I think I'm back on track now and my muse is working again with these stories! Second of all, I want to thank those who haven't given up on me or my stories. I can't tell you what that means as a writer to feel like you've managed to hold people's attention despite long absences. It means a lot to me you guys and I'm bound and determined to give you one shell of a story! So thank you so much for all your patience and support, and (from Willowfly) the lighter under my butt! I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter, because if not for enjoyment, why else would we write?

X

"Uhhh...what the...shell..." Donatello groaned as consciousness beckoned him from his dreamless state, pulling him towards a literal bright light overhead. The turtle shook his head, then instantly regretted it as a spike seemed to drive through his skull. Where was he? He knew he could answer that question better by opening his eyes, but at this moment he didn't seem to have the energy to do much of anything but breath. He could feel a bandage wrapped tightly around his left arm, and he was laying on his stomach on a cold metal floor. This instantly alerted him to the fact he wasn't home, or at April's or Casey's. At those places, it was either carpet or stone. Never metal.

The knowledge was enough to force him to open his eyes, only to shut them seconds later as the bright light assaulted him. His entire head was spinning and the rocking sensation he was getting wasn't helping any! But he couldn't just stay like this in who-knew-where! He had to get up, had to clear his mind and...

Sucking in a deep breath between his teeth, Don cracked his eyes open, this time forcing them to stay that way before opening them further. A head splitting pain drove in through his eyes as soon as they were fully open, but he continued, allowing his eyes to adjust to the pressure.

Finally, after several minutes had passed, he could look around without wanting to pass out. He was in a small, overly lit room with no windows, what seemed like no doors, and a ceiling he could touch with his head if he stood up...and he wasn't alone. Green eyes went impossibly wide as they rested on the figure not two feet from him, gasping and withering in pain.

"Raph!" he jumped to his feet, then nearly collapsed as his knees buckled under him. He managed to catch himself on his hands and despite the indignity, crawled over to his brother. Everything was coming back now. Finding Raph missing, the frantic call from April, the fight, then chasing the other ninja...the last thing he remembered was being shot in the arm.

Raph was gasping for air, moving around wildly with inane half-gasped shouts of demands and pleas that could only be heard once Donny came closer.

"Raph! Wake up! Raph!" he grabbed onto his brother's shoulders then let go, biting back a cry of pain as he looked at his hands. His brother's skin...what was wrong with him?! It felt like...like his skin was on fire, but at the same time...it had a numbing after affect. Don shook his head. It didn't matter! Taking a firmer hold of his brother's shoulder's he tried again.

"Raph! Raphael wake up!"

"...L-let...me go! Let...get...offa me! S-stop!" the dark green turtle begged and fought. His arms moving to push Don away. If there had been any power behind them, it could have been bad, but they only felt like harmless pushes. Not even that strong.

"RAPHAEL!" Don shook harder, trying not to think about the fact he was causing his injured brother even more pain. "C'mon, bro! You have to wake up!" he shook him harder, resorting to lightly slapping the mask-less face, ignoring the stinging in his hands.

The unconscious turtle gave one more final shuddering cry before his eyes popped open as he jerked up slightly, before collapsing back as his breath caught.

"Stay with me alright? You're alright. You're fine." Don tried to reassure as he focused on glazed brown eyes.

"D-Donny...?" Raph's voice shook as if he were a child.

The second youngest nodded.

"Yeah. It's me, Raph. It's me. You're alright now. You're safe." considering where Don thought they were, it was a lie, but in terms of his brother being free from his nightmares for now, it was completely true.

Brown eyes roved the scene as if unsure before he made a move to sit up on his own, his brother's hand supporting him. Instead of saying thank you though, or even starting in with questions, he raised his hand to his brother's face. Pressing his eyes closed and his fingers hard against the skin...

Then he nodded. This was reality.

"Raph..." Don wasn't sure what to do, but he couldn't take the numbing fire that raged from his brother's hand. As gently as he could, he finally forced it down.

"Where are we?" the questions started as Raph rubbed his eyes, coming into the light much the same as Don had.

"I don't know exactly. I know whose 'guests' we probably are, but as for where..." he shrugged. Again being hit with the rocking sensation.

Raph grunted.

"Shredder?" he said it more like a question.

"I'd bet my shell." Don sighed sitting back on his heels. "Are you alright?" from what he could see, his brother's color was better, as well as his wounds were completely bandaged. But appearances and reality were often different entities.

"Yeah...Mmmm fine." Raph muttered before shaking his head violently, locking his eyes onto his brother's. "Sorry I got ya messed up inta this." one of the few things he remembered before blacking out was hearing voices. His family coming to his aid.

"Believe me, when we get home, you're going to be more than sorry when Sensei gets a hold of you!" Don snapped, but there was a hopeful undertone to it. He meant they'd get home. That this wasn't the end, no matter what 'this' was.

Raph smirked, then winced as he pulled his shoulder. Another thing he remembered was getting popped by a new kind of gun! He waved his brother's help off.

"I bet. ...Ya ok? How 'bout the others, do ya know?"

"I'm alright. Dizzy, but alright. I'm sure the others are fine too. With all the commotion you caused, it probably wasn't to long before the police decided to swing by and things disbanded." he knew his answer wasn't good enough for his brother, it wasn't good enough for him! But it was all he had to give at the moment. Though there was also something he wanted to take: an answer. His brother had been so secretive over the past few days about what was wrong with him. The tests showed nothing and...until now he hadn't seen anything up close.

Now after having a firsthand look at his brother's pain, and it terrified him. Maybe that was another reason he didn't feel like lecturing Raph. He was more scared than angry at the moment.

"Raph...umm..." considering where they were, this was probably the worst timing of his life, but he couldn't help it! This wasn't the scientist in him that wanted answers and could wait. It was the concerned brother, that couldn't! "What were you dreaming about? Just now."

"Why does that matter?" instant defense tainted Raph's tone.

"Because you were terrified." sometimes putting it frankly with his hotheaded brother was the only way to put things! "You were telling something to get off of you and to stop. It sounded pretty bad." he lowered his voice compassionately.

Raph looked away from his brother, running a hand over his scalp as if he had hair. He felt worse than he had in a long time, both pain and exhaustion wise. How long had he been out? He wasn't sure, but he knew the pain wasn't just coming from whatever wounds he'd sustained in the fight. His eyes trailed over his bandages as he tried to avoid his brother's eyes.

"Why do ya think they bandaged us up? I mean if it's Shredder, he's only gonna kill us...why do ya think he's kept us alive so long?" if they woke up in a lab or on a dissection table this would make sense. But they were just alone in a room...

"You're avoiding the question, Raph!" Don folded his arms. His eyes set in a very Leo way as he regarded his sibling who seemed on the verge of making up some excuse. "Don't even try it with me, Raph! I know something's been going on. We all do. Now what is it?" he wondered if it had anything to do with his brother's skin? His brother didn't act like he had a fever, or show any signs of illness...but he was burning! The mind was a powerful thing...maybe Raph felt it too?

"It's nothin'. Just a nightmare. We all get 'em. No big..." he trailed off as his brother's eyes bore into him. Crud. He was to tired for a fight right now! But tired or not if his brother thought he was just getting an explanation then he'd have to reeducated in stubbornness! Unfortunately, Raph had a feeling he'd be receiving the same education via Don.

"Raph!"

"Ya know...we should probably be lookin' for a door or somethin'..." it was the lamest excuse possible, but it was all he had. Fortunately it was one Don agreed with.

"You're right. We don't know where we are, or when they'll be back...we should find a way out of here..." he looked around, then lowered his voice. "Just be careful, there might be security camera's in here for all we know."

"Great. Ya know when I got big brother watchin' me, as annoyin' as it is, I prefer Leo." Raph grumbled as he forced himself to stand up. As soon as he put his full weight on both his legs, he felt himself pitching forward with a gasp. His brother moved just in time to support him, easing him back down.

"You do know you can look without moving, shell for brains?" Don sighed, masking his pain from the contact with annoyance.

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"Use your eyes. Tell me if you see or hear anything. Feel the floor even! But don't move around too much." the doctor tone had slipped into Don's voice as he moved away from his brother. He'd ask him more about the nightmares later. Right now he had to make sure his brother didn't hurt himself more physically!

Fortunately, his brother was too worn out to protest much.

As time passed, the two lapsed into an almost comfortable silence as they frantically searched for a door. Raph searched the floor as best he could, while Don ran his hands over every inch of every wall. He was on his second round before he shook his head. There was nothing at all! No seem, no lock, no dent...nothing! But that didn't make sense! They couldn't have just materialized into the room! Then again it was Shredder but even for him...it was impossible. No. Nothing was impossible. He was simply looking at it from the wrong angle.

Throwing his brother a glance, Don saw he was doing his best and also coming up empty. That left only one other place to look: the ceiling! It was insane, but cages came in many forms.

Starting at one corner of the room, Don slowly made his way across vertically first, pushing and prodding in everyway he could. Then he made another trip back slightly further along, and then another and another.

"I think...Raph what are you doing?!" he snapped as he looked over to find his brother struggling to stand up, his chest heaving as he forced his legs into place, his own hands flat against the ceiling.

"Ya ain't gonna finish this on your own...and ya know it!" he gasped as he started to move, each step a challenge.

Don groaned. Of all the hotheaded...no wonder Leo and Raph butted heads so much! They could be both be stubborn idiots!

"Sit down! You're only going to hurt yourself more!"

"If Shredder gets his hands on us, that'll be the least of our worries!" Raph snorted, pushing harder on the ceiling, trying to keep his breath from hitching at the pain that raced up both his legs.

"Raph! Sit ba...ahhh!" Donatello was cut off as a door opened above his head and a large gloved hand reached in and snatched the back of carapace, pulling him up towards darkness.

"Don!" pushing past his pain into numb adrenaline, Raph made a stumbling race towards his brother, then pitched forward as his legs buckled underneath him. His fingertips meeting empty air as he fell, trying to grab his brother. With a grunt he jerked himself up, but all words left him as he stared straight up into the face of a Foot Elite.

To Be Continued...

A/N: (passes out) I hope that was ok and you guys liked it. Don gave me a bit of trouble writing, but I think it came out ok. Or at least I hope so. Please let me know what you guys think!

Have a great day.

Be Blessed

Your friend

innocent-rebel


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: YES! My Senior thesis rough draft is turned in!!!! It's turned in and I don't have to worry about the final copy for at least a few weeks! WHOOHOO!!!! Thank you guys so much for your support! I'm really glad you like the story so far! I can't tell you how good it makes me feel, and I just wish I could give all of you big hugs! (passes out virtual cookies instead) Hope you guys like what's coming up next!

X

Before Raph had the chance to issue a curse, the gloved hand gripped the back of his neck, jerked him through the hole and tossed him next to his brother. Raph growled as he hit the floor with a hard thud. A dull ache growing into a fiery pain spread throughout his body. No matter how much pain he was in though, his anger distracted from it as he raised his eyes to see an armor-less Shredder walking towards them. Saki's head was inclined like a god's, while his eyes rested on the two creatures at his feet.

Raph made a move to attack, but was pushed back down by a heavy foot on his back. He choked back a gasp.

"Raph, don't." Don hissed, watching his brother from the corner of his eye, while keeping most of his focus on Shredder.

Raph snarled, but was cut off by Shredder himself.

"You should listen to your brother, Raphael."

A deep growl rattled inside of the turtle's throat and before he could stop himself he lobbed a glob of spit at the man's feet. Not even seconds later was his face slashed by an all to familiar gauntlet.

It was only then Don started to struggle, his eyes narrowing at the sight of his brother's blood. However with added force from another elite guard, he was slammed down to the ground. The sharp end of a curved blade brought just within his line of sight, and within inches of his neck.

"Back off basket heads!" Raph snarled, then gasped as he felt Saki grab him by his throat, jerking his face up.

"By my order alone, are you freaks still alive!" Saki growled as he tightened his grip. "And by my order, will you die! But for now I have a better use for you...well...one of you." he dropped the turtle's head and stood back.

He expected the turtles to begin questioning him. To ask what he wanted , to demand to be set free or any other idiotic thing that came into their minds. Only silence emitted from both as they stared at him, waiting. He inwardly smirked. Perhaps they were learning already.

Dark eyes rested on Raphael's face as a sneer twisted the man's mouth. Normally, they'd be dead by now. But Stockman as well as other scientists in his employ begged that they be allowed to run some experiments first. Especially after what happened to Hun on the way back. Those witness to it said it had been bizarre! One moment he was fine, carrying the red masked turtle over his shoulders like a trophy...then he'd collapsed moments later. Hun was alright, just...paralyzed for a bit. Yet the turtle had done nothing.

"You, Raphael, are the one I'm most interested in keeping alive..."

"Heh. Keep the most dangerous around. Good plan." his brown eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, tinted with red from the wounds.

"That's where you're wrong. A warrior is only as strong as the fire that burns inside of him. And I know how to make that fire go out rather quickly." with a snap of his fingers Donatello was yanked from ground with the blade pressed to his throat. A small trickle of blood was already beginning as the elite guard dug into the flesh.

"NO! Donny! Let 'im go! I swear if ya don't let 'im go I'll kill ya!" Raph's anger burst into a wildfire as he struggled against his captures, ignoring the pain and pushing as hard as he could against them. He could hear weapons being brought out, but that only incensed him further as he cursed wildly, his eyes going wide then narrow as he saw the trickle of blood on his brother's neck begin to grow.

"Hold him." Shredder said as if bored, giving a nod for his elite to begin using their weapons. Despite the beginning of the fight, it ended soon after the blunt end of an ax like weapon was slammed down onto Raph's shell. Once his head was on the ground, blades flashed as they stabbed into the ground, creating a deadly X over his neck.

Raph snorted like a beast as he looked at the man responsible before twisting to look at his brother.

Don...

The blood was coming faster now, he could see his brother's eyes wide with pain and terror as the blade pressed deeper...

"Are you going to behave now?" Saki looked down at the beaten turtle.

A tasty insult rested on the tip of Raph's tongue. Only to be swallowed back as he saw a look of pure hatred flash across Shredder's face. It was humiliating, but Raph bowed his head in submission, giving a curt nod.

"Yeah...just let him go!"

Shredder seemed to consider, then seconds before it was to late, held up his hand.

"Release him."

Don fell to the ground with a clatter. His hands grabbing onto his throat to stop the bleeding. He could feel his chest heaving as he gasped for air, trying to recover from the panic that gripped him.

"Now that we understand each other, I'll be brief. You will be kept alive, if only because I've found some use for you. And I expect your full cooperation. To make sure I have that..." Saki motioned to Donatello. "I'm keeping him as a bit of insurance. If you disobey, or show any disrespect towards me again...he will be the one to suffer!"

Raph's eyes widened, as they darted between Donatello and Shredder. This sick perverted psycho! He could feel a roar in the pit of his stomach just waiting to be unleashed, but the more he stared at Saki, the more he knew if he did anything, he'd have Don killed right now. Or worse. What was worse, Raph wasn't sure, but he knew this monster would figure out something that was!

"Is that clear?"

At that question, Raph could barely contain a howl of rage, but managed to nod.

"Yeah...we're clear." he couldn't help the disdain that slipped in his tone. "So what exactly is it about me ya find so interestin'?!" if he could keep him talking, maybe he could figure a way out of this! From the corner of his right eye he could see several port holes being sprayed with water. Meaning they were either on a ship that was docked, or somewhere out at sea. He wondered if they were close to the island the professor and some of the other homeless people lived on. If they were...maybe they could make it there?

"I'll leave that for Stockman to explain. For now, I simply wanted to come welcome you both and thank you for your contributions to the Foot." the man said nothing more before turning deftly on his heel and striding towards the shadows.

It was Don's turn to growl after the man as the Foot Elite dispersed in a cloud of smoke. They weren't alone though. Both could feel eyes watching them from every corner. A small part of Don was surprised they didn't come after him when he started removing the weapons from around his brother's neck, one hand still pressed firmly to his own wound.

"Are you alright?"

"Ya know that question's kinda loosin' any meanin'." Raph snorted.

Don nodded, but neither had a chance to say anything more before several ninjas dropped from the shadows. Two grabbed onto Raphael's arms, jerking him up to his feet while four others surrounded Don and began herding him back towards the hole he'd come through. Neither brother had time to exchange words or even looks before Don was pushed through the hole into the light, and Raph was ushered on towards his first test.

X

"Anything?!" Leo snapped as he checked in with April for the fourth time in an hour.

"Nothing yet. I haven't seen anyone enter or leave Shredder's tower with anything or anyone that resembled Raph or Don. Not even a truck has checked in." the woman informed, the sound of her fingers clicking against a keyboard rattled in the oldest turtle's head.

He heaved a sigh.

"Well keep looking! They might have used a helicopter for all we know! Or they could be boarding a plane..."

"I'm already checking public and private flights. So far, no one whose even remotely associated with them has tried to take off or landed!"

Leo shook his head, fighting the urge to curse into the phone or berate April. It wasn't her fault there wasn't anything. Shell, with everything she was doing now, there was a high chance she could be arrested! She was doing her best. They all were...but it wasn't enough! Until his brothers were home it would never be enough!

"Thanks, April. Let me know if anything comes up...how's Mike?"

The youngest had been the most grievously wounded in the last battle. They'd managed to get the bullet out of his leg, but it'd nearly sent him into shock from the pain. He was alright now. Or as alright as he could be.

"He's fine. He's been helping me work the maps you guys left."

There was a slight pause as Leo gave a curt nod before signing off, placing his shell-cell in his belt next to the letter.

"I take it Miss O'Neil has found nothing?" Splinter asked as he stared out at the city only a few feet from his son.

"No, Master. She's doing her best but so far...it's like they disappeared into thin air! Like when you went missing!" he inwardly shuddered as he pushed that from his mind. Finding his Master's abandoned cane after the fight with Shredder had been one of the worst moments of his life! Even worse than when he was ambushed by the Foot!

"But you found me. Just as we will find your brothers." the aging rat narrowed his eyes further as he bowed his head, running all the places they'd been over the past few days through his mind. Seeing if there was anything he'd missed, or any allies they had not yet contacted. There was nothing he could find, and no person he could remember not speaking to.

"Lets just hope it's in time." Leo whispered to himself before allowing his voice to gain an inch of volume as his blue eyes narrowed. "Are you ready for this Master?"

Their days of searching may have left them with no clues as to their family member's location, but it had put them steps closer to one of the kidnappers. Through stealth surveillance at other Dragon hideouts, they had managed to find which one Hun was most likely to be at. They found him and there was a good chance he'd lead them to Shredder.

As an answer, Splinter flicked his right paw open, his claws catching the moonlight as he tossed his cane into his open palm. His ears pressed back against his skull.

"I am ready my son."

"Alright then." Leo's answer was short as he followed his father over the side and into the building through a forgotten upstairs window.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Hoped you guys liked it! Please let me know what ya thought!

Be Blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Man, you guys sure know how to make a girl feel wanted! I can't tell you how much your kind words mean to me! And I know I say that a lot, but I really mean it! You guys really make me feel good about the story and let me know that people are enjoying it. Thank you so much! That means...man I just can't explain it!! You guys rock!! I hope you like what's coming up next!

X

Their movement inside was completely silent, but for all the noise that was being made elsewhere, they could have been shouting and no one would have heard them! The building was old, and crumbling in so many places it was beyond help from any repairman. That made it the perfect place for Hun and his Dragons to hold illegal fights and even peddle stolen wears directly to the criminal masses. Even now, the sounds of a deal going down outside of a fighting hall reached Leonardo's ears.

His eyes were narrowed as he followed his father over the creaking floor until they came to the edge and hauled themselves over the metal railing; silently landing on the maze of steel catwalks a few feet below. On nights like this, he should be patrolling with his brothers and Casey. Trying to figure out the best way and time to break up whatever sales these Dragons had going on. But tonight, Casey was in the hospital, two of his brothers were missing and he had to rely on these scum for information. And he would get it! Even if Hun wasn't here, they weren't leaving empty handed.

Leo didn't need to see his father's face to know he felt the same. As much as they had grown, and as tainted as their innocence was, they were still his children! Splinter had never shied away from doing whatever was necessary to protect them, nor did Leo think their father ever would!

"Do you recognize anyone?" Splinter asked as they leapt to another lower catwalk.

The oldest turtle pulled out a pair of binoculars from a pouch on his belt. After adjusting them, he caught several faces, but shook his head. There was no one that he...wait!

"Down there." he pointed to a tall man with a spike of green hair on his otherwise bald scalp. A purple dragon curled around his neck before edging up onto his face. "Dragon Face! He's one of Hun's favorites. Seems to run a lot of deals when Hun isn't around himself."

Splinter nodded.

"If we do not find Hun here, then we will have to make sure to question the young man." there was a dark tint to the rat's tone that ran a small shudder down Leo's back.

He shook it off, putting the binoculars away as he followed his father the rest of the way to the catwalk that would lead them in the direction of the fight chamber. He'd never been in this building before, but the map they'd found of this place showed a perfect sized room once used for storage, that could easily hold stands as well as a ring. Plus, the sounds of a crowd screaming for blood came from that direction as well. Anger stirred inside of Leo as they came closer and the sound grew. These people were screaming. Begging for blood as if enough wasn't spilled everyday. As if two of the most important people in his life weren't missing because of their business!

It was enough to make him sick! From the corner of his eye, he could see his father felt the same sickness of anger as well.

But they would control it for now. Until they found what they needed, they would stay in the shadows. Waiting for their moment to attack.

X

Sounds of heavy machinery pulsated around Raphael as he lay strapped down to a metal table, his head spinning as another needle was inserted into his skin. He bit down onto his lip, fighting the urge to cry out even as they dug around under his flesh. A mask sat over his mouth and beak providing clean air. But instead of assuring him he could breath, it only added to his growing panic. For all he knew they could be giving him some sort of drug and start asking about his family! That would be just like Shredder...no...that'd be like someone else. Shredder would use more physical means to gain what he wanted...

Raph shook his head from side to side to clear his mind, jerking the cord that was attached to his mask. He could hear Stockman as well as other scientists muttering to themselves as they worked. Occasionally watching information about his DNA scroll down a screen like it was some fascinating movie.

Mechanical arms added to the action as they would randomly descend from the ceiling and either pull out a needle, inject another or simply scrape off a bit of skin. What was so interesting he didn't know, but if he was glad for one thing, it was that he was facing this instead of any of his brothers or father.

"Hmmm...that's strange..." Stockman muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, though when anyone asked about it, he wouldn't explain in full detail. He only shot looks back and forth between Raphael and the screen.

The turtle had received the same treatment when he'd first arrived and was strapped down. No matter what he asked, he was only answered with either a blank stare or a clipped expression. A part of him wondered if playing dumb wouldn't work in his favor rather than actually acting interested. Mikey had made him sit through enough horror films and adventure flicks to teach him that there were some people who just liked to hear themselves talk! Especially when it was in front of people they didn't think understood them.

"What...is all that junk anyways?! What are ya doin' ta me?!" Raph snarled, trying to make his voice sound smaller as if he were terrified. In truth he was, but he'd never admit it to himself.

Stockman turned towards him, his holographic face lighting up with a sinister smile.

"It's not what we're doing to you! It's what's happening to you!" the doctor sneered, but said nothing more before turning back to his research.

Raph opened his mouth to try again, but just then the doctor was at his side with a long needle in his mechanical claw-like hand. Raph's eyes went wide and he could feel his whole body tense up. Still, he wouldn't cry out. He wouldn't give these punks the satisfaction!

Without any conversation passing between them, Stockman removed the mask from the turtle's face, then took hold of his chin.

"Open your mouth." he ordered.

His answer came in the clenching of a jaw and a muted snarl.

Stockman glowered, his metal grip tightening on the turtle.

"Would you like to switch places with your brother?" his voice was frigid and despite not being real, his eyes carried a darkness inside them that shot panic into the turtle.

It took a second of self convincing and reminders of Shredder's threat, but eventually Raph forced his jaw open, trying to keep his look sour. Then the needle hit the inside of his cheek. He could feel his chest tighten as adrenaline laced pain shot through him. His fists clenched, digging the needles in the palms further into his skin, forcing him to loosen his grip and bear it without any kind of physical release.

"Good." the scientist smirked as he pulled out the saliva and blood stained needle before placing it in the other cheek. Anyone could see the turtle was in great pain! But that didn't matter to him. These results...they were nothing like he'd ever seen! Before he'd only had scant information about them and a few scraps of DNA. Nothing like this! This was a gold mine and there was such a difference between this turtle and the other! It was...he wasn't sure yet. The closest he could come to putting his finger on it was to say that it looked as if a whole new mutation had taken place inside his current test subject!

The surprising thing was, there were absolutely no signs of any kind of similar mutation in Donatello. From what he could see, aside from being the DNA of a mutated turtle, it looked normal! Stockman wondered if Raphael had come into contact with anything else in the past few weeks that might have caused this! Again, what this was exactly he wasn't sure but that's why the specimen was kept alive!

"It's a pity you can't understand what we're doing. If you had a mind for science perhaps you could conceive a scrap of the importance...but that's more than I'd expect from you." Stockman smirked.

"I ain't...dumb!" Raph defended, his mouth all but numb from the needle.

"You're an animal. No matter how intelligent you seem, an abomination of nature is all you'll ever be."

"Rather be an animal than a walkin' joke!" as soon as the words left his mouth, Raph felt sick as his thoughts turned to his brother and what he might condemned to.

"Excuse me?!" Baxter roared drawing attention from several other scientists. All of them took small steps back. Some even threw pitying glances towards the turtle. "You think I'm a joke, you reptilian freak?! You think I'm a joke?! Well, lets see how funny I am!"

One of his mechanical arms extended further and Stockman all but ripped a scalpel from one of the overhanging arms, then without loosing any momentum plunged it straight down into the turtle's shoulder. His lips peeled back in an animalistic grin as Raphael was unable to keep himself from crying out at the pain. Instead of pulling it back though, he pressed deeper, dragging it down then up towards the tip of the turtle's shell, digging underneath the skin. For however long he had left, it was a scar Stockman wanted to make permanent!

Raph bit his lip to stop more screams of agony as the knife left his wound then made another one lower on his arm. His lip split from the pressure, releasing a taste of iron into his mouth and a hot blurriness touched his eyes. Stockman was saying something to him, but he could barely comprehend anything. All he could do was keep breathing...keep breathing and...

"AHHHHHH!"

To be continued...

A/N: I am a horrible little person. I openly admit to that. Hope you guys liked it! Please let me know!

Be Blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Dude I'm on a roll!! When I picked up this story again I had no idea it would explode in my head like this!! I love it!! Thank you guys so much for your support! It means a lot!! Especially after being gone for so long! You guys are awesome! Hope you like what's coming up! Please enjoy, for that is why we write!

X

"And you are completely sure you do not wish to tell us Hun's whereabouts?!" Splinter snarled as he pushed his cane harder against the gang member's throat. The man's arms hung loosely at his side from previous attacks.

When they had found out that Hun wasn't here, they had fallen back on their plan to 'ask' Dragon Face where he might be. Of course as soon as he saw them the man tried to call in for backup. That was when he found the end of Splinter's cane connecting with his throat and cutting him off. To anyone who passed the secluded room, the beginning of his call had only sounded like a drunken curse.

Still, being down and alone hadn't had much of an effect. Dragon Face had started fighting as brutally and affectively as he knew how. His fists flying in every direction, he even managed to grab hold of his small gun. Before he could fire though it had been kicked from his hand and his arm dislocated before his head met the wall as Leonardo's foot came crashing into it from the side.

He'd gotten up again, this time unarmed and with one useless appendage, but still determined. He called them freaks, monsters, and several unmentionable things, all the while proclaiming he would never tell them anything.

Like most did in the end, he was forced to eat his pride as Splinter had attacked in unison with his son, dislocating his other arm before both of them drove him into the wall, and then threw a less than stable door that led to the smaller room they were now in. A room, Splinter made sure he knew, would be wonderful as a final resting place!

If there had been any doubt the rat would hold back from making his words a reality, there was none now as the man gasped desperately for air.

"I...already...told ya...I...don't...know..."

Splinter's eyes narrowed. Instead of pushing though, he stepped back, allowing the man a brief gasp of oxygen before he grabbed him by the cuff his shirt.

Leonardo stood behind his father, his arms folded as a cool expression reigned across his face.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe. Only moments ago did you tell us we would never find him!" the rat hissed, his tail twitching back and forth as he twisted his cane around in his other hand before pushing the flattened end of it against the dragon's Adam apple. "To me, that says you do know where he is! Or at the very least you have an idea!"

Dragon Face swallowed. If any of the other Dragons ever found out he'd been this freaked out by these two they would laugh him out of town! But then the one turtle he was used to! It was the giant rat that was sending shivers down his spine.

"I...don't have any clue!" he tried to make his voice sound tough but at the sound of a sword leaving its sheath it was incredibly hard. Would they kill him? They'd never killed anyone before but from what he'd heard some of their own were missing! The stakes were higher for them. But the were just as high for him! If he said anything and word got around to Hun, or worse, the man who backed them financially...he felt like shaking. He knew this one who used to work with them. Good dragon! Then he was asked to run a simple collection errand and when he got jacked...it wasn't his fault, but he was still killed! The others told everyone about it.

"You are worried about what will happen to you if Hun should find out about tonight..." Splinter stated as if he could read the man's mind. "And that is not an unfounded fear." he eased up.

The gang member sighed in relief, then gasped as the turtle was now in his face with the blade to his throat.

"But are you prepared to die now for that fear and lie?" Splinter asked. He would never allow his son to actually commit the murder, nor would he himself kill unless absolutely necessary. But he would plant the seed of terror in the man's mind and water it with his words. Under normal circumstances he would frown upon such acts, but right now his son's lives were at stake!

"I...I..." the dragon paled, and seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating as the blade pushed closer to his neck.

"We have no intentions of letting our sources get out." Leo prompted in a hushed tone.

His words meant nothing to the man, but the blade did!

"I...I don't know...exactly where he is! All I knows is he told me ta keep an eye on things while he was gone! I didn't actually see him when he told me. I just got a message on my phone!" his words were rushed, slamming into each other as the alcohol and fear combined.

"Where is it?!" Leo demanded.

"Vest pocket."

Leo wasted no time in searching and seconds later pulled out a small cell phone from the right vest pocket. With how badly worn the vest was, Leo was both surprised and grateful it hadn't fallen out.

"And this is all you have?" he asked.

"That's it..." Dragon Face sighed in relief. They'd get nothing off of that thing! All it had was a vague message on it. There was no way they'd find Hun! And even if they did, he doubted it could be connected to him! Or he could argue he'd been beaten and they'd taken it! His mind went back to that one dragon that failed but he pushed it away. He had to think about now! This minute or else it'd be his last!

Leo turned the phone on, then turned custody of the dragon over to his father as he scanned through messages. With any luck it didn't get deleted! After several minutes of tense searching he released a breath as he found what he assumed was it. It was a call made in the early morning of the day his brothers had been taken. There was no return phone number. He held it up to his ear to listen as he pressed play.

"This is Hun. Our backer wants a meeting to discuss tonight's haul! I don't know how long I'll be gone, but keep everyone in line and business going as usual!" the message ended with a final click that sent a lump into Leo's throat.

"And he hasn't called since?" Leo didn't need to look behind him to know the man was shaking his head. He fought the urge to crush the small phone or throw it into a wall. It was barely anything! It...there was nothing here! No clue, no nothing! Only confirmation that Hun and Shredder were somewhere together! That could only mean his brothers were going through ten times what they would be if only one of those monsters were there!

"It will do, my son." Splinter said, his tone suddenly soothing as he rested a gentle hand against his son's shoulder.

"Master..." Leo whipped around, but found the dragon slumped on the ground, his eyes closed. Leo's jaw dropped. Had his master...no. The man was still breathing. Out cold and from the looks of it that wouldn't change for awhile, but he was still alive.

"He knew nothing more. We have what we have."

Leo shook his head to calm himself, then nodded.

"Yes Master."

The conversation ended with that as they both raced out of the room and back the way they'd came across the catwalks to the abandoned floor and through the window. Both their minds and hearts weighing heavily with this new information. It wasn't much and both of them knew there was only so much April could do. But they hoped whatever could be done was enough and that it was done in time!

To Be Continued...

A/N: Hope you guys liked it! Please review and let me know what you thought!

Hope you have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Why is it writing is always more fun than doing homework? (sigh) If only homework were as much fun! Oh well! WHOOHOO! Another update! Thank you guys so much for reading! Your words mean a lot! I'm so glad you're liking it!! Once again, hope you enjoy what's next!

X

Donatello's eyes widened as soon as the hatch above him was opened and his brother was shoved through. He leapt to his feet, barely able to catch him and once he did dropped him as a wave of pain and numbness took over. Raph hit the ground with a less painful thud, but hardly seemed to notice anything as he lay still.

Don cursed under his breath as he fought off the sickening sensation and kneeled next to his brother. He knew it would hurt, but he couldn't stop himself from grabbing onto his brother's shoulders and turning over onto his back. Numbing pain exploded throughout his hands and arms, but dulled to a tolerable level when he let go. For a brief second, as he collected his breath, Don wished he hadn't turned Raph over. Once again, the damage they'd done was enough to make him feel physically ill. How was it in only two days they'd managed to nearly kill one of the strongest people he knew?

His brother's arms were sliced up, his plastron had been cut into and a small part was chipped away exposing raw flesh. He could see a bit of Raph's shell had also been taken and there was an ugly gash across his right leg that had been stitched shut. On top of that, there were the places on his wrists and ankles where restraints had rubbed raw.

"They...d-didn't h-hurt ya...did they?" Raphael's voice creaked as he rolled his head towards his brother. It was to painful to open his eyes.

At first Don jumped at his brother's voice, then felt his jaw drop. What?! They'd been torturing Raph and his brother asks if he was ok?!

"I...I couldn't...k-keep my mouth shut...s-said somethin'...stupid." he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Shhhh. Don't talk alright? Just keep still. They didn't hurt me." Don lied. They had come in and belted him good. For awhile he thought they'd permanently blinded him in his right eye, but he was fine. Compared to Raph he should be turning cartwheels!

Raph grunted. Obviously not believing him, but didn't have the energy to call him out for lying.

"I'll...k-kill 'em...w-when this is over." he mumbled instead.

He couldn't see the way his brother shook his head or silently pleaded with him not to do anything foolish. All he could feel was the cold floor beneath him, and like every time he came back from that hell: it felt wonderful! There were no restraints, no knives waiting to chop him up or Stockman ranting about something and asking him questions about things he couldn't remember. The psycho had said there was some kind of reaction going on inside of him that usually only went on inside of bees and hornets. After bugs were brought into the conversation, he'd had stopped listening. Not that that did any good. Stockman had started asking him questions about if he'd been stung recently or by what.

As far as Raph knew the only thing he'd been hit by were those bugs in that other dimension and there was no way he was telling anyone associated with Shredder about that! They'd be over at Aprils in five seconds tearing that place apart if he did! So he'd lied and said he didn't know. That he might have been but he wasn't sure when or where or by what.

Whether they believed him though he wasn't sure. But by how they were talking, it was starting to scare him! Bugs weren't vampires. One didn't bite you and then you became one...but these bugs were from a completely different world!

"H-hey Don...I...know this...is...g-gonna sound d-dumb but..." Raph paused for a moment to catch his breath. He couldn't believe he was going to ask this! If he was thinking clearly there was no way he would have but he couldn't stop himself! If he didn't ask, chances were he'd have a nightmare about turning into one of them instead of just being attacked! "I-if a bug...b-bites ya...ya don't...turn inta one...t-there ain't...even a chance?"

There was a moment of silence that settled after his question, only to be broken up as Donny tried to stifle a chuckle.

"What?"

Raph felt his face growing hot.

"F-ferget it!" he tried to do the same, but couldn't stop himself. "I'm j-just...askin'..."

"There's no possible way, Raph. For someone to turn into a bug it would require their entire genetic code to be rewritten!" Don soothed, unsure why his brother was asking this at all. A part of him wondered if it had to do with his dreams. He'd heard him over the past two nights mutter something about bugs and telling them to leave him alone. Of course when he'd asked about it, Raph had shrugged him off.

"Yeah...but we're..."

"Mutant turtles. But we were always turtles. We didn't get turned into something else like say...alligators! We mutated, but we stayed the same. A case of microevolution if you will."

Raph groaned, cutting his brother off. The last thing he needed on top of everything else was a science lecture. Especially since Donny would probably start on one thing and then end up on something completely different! His little brother was scatterbrained like that.

"Why do you ask anyways?" Donny quirked an eyeridge, then instantly regretted asking. Hadn't he told him to get some rest? Even if he didn't sleep that much, anything was better than nothing! Still, a part of him wanted to know why Raph was asking something he'd expect to come out of Mikey's mouth. The dreams could be part of it...but he also wondered if they hadn't done something else to him in the experiments. Raph never mentioned much about what happened, but Don was starting to think he needed to know.

"Just...askin'. Thanks...bro." Raphael sighed as he found the strength to turn his face from his brother. Hoping to hide both the relief and embarrassment that rested there.

"No problem. Now, you really should get some sleep..." the olive turtle started, turning his eyes towards the ceiling again and wondering if he should stand guard. There was nothing he could do, when they came for Raph, but he didn't have to make it any easier on them! Besides that, he was hoping to get them so angry they'd move them to another cell somewhere else. What good that would do he wasn't sure, but it'd give him another chance to scope out the area. Raph had been taking what notes he could and telling him, but it wasn't enough to plan an escape on.

He sighed and shook his head. They'd get out of here! One way or another they'd get out of here!

'It's not going to end like this,' he silently promised himself and Raph.

"Don't...try anythin'...stupid, brainiac." Raph grumbled causing Donny's head to snap over.

"What?"

"Ya heard me...don't...try anythin'." the older turtle managed, ignoring the way his brother tried to coax him to get some sleep. "I'll be fine...just...worry 'bout yerself." he murmured.

Donny sighed as he sat back on his heels, knowing it was only a matter of time before his sibling dropped off to sleep. For someone else, worrying about themselves might have been what they were already doing. But he couldn't. Not for just himself at least. Even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to stop worrying about his brother, or thinking about what he'd asked and why.

To Be Continued...

A/N: I have plans. Oh yes...PLANS!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! ahem. I'm done now. Please let me know what ya thought.

Hope you have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you guys so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you liked it!! (feels all special) You guys rock!! Not much else to say! Hope you enjoy what's coming up next!

X

_A small groan escaped him as he opened his eyes. His head was pounding and he ached all over, but the worst part was the fluorescent lights overhead. They were glaring down at him in a way that reminded him of looking straight at the sun. At least Donny was alright. He was asleep with his head against the wall and his knees curled up into him._

_Raph sighed and shook his head as he sat up, inwardly cursing. Donny shouldn't be here! He shouldn't be paying for mistakes that weren't his! And Raph would make sure he didn't pay much more! They were getting out of here! Somehow, any way possible! That was a promise he made as he pushed himself to his feet and brought his hands to the ceiling. As much as his body ached, it wasn't something that pulled him down anymore. He actually felt rested and the pain from his wounds had numbed. He didn't know why, but right now he didn't care._

_Only getting out mattered!_

_Pushing up against the ceiling, he bit his already split lip, hoping there wasn't a guard. If there was, he was dead. Not that things would be that different if it was locked..._

_His eyes widened as he pushed up and found it opening with ease. A grin spread across his face._

_"Donny!" he whispered. "Yo, Don! Wake up bro!" keeping his hands in place he verbally coaxed his little brother into consciousness._

_"Wha..."_

_"C'mon! We're gettin' outta here!"_

_Without any debate Donny jumped up and stood silently as Raphael gave a quick push upward, then poked his head out. It took a moment for the turtle's eyes to adjust, but when they did, he was met with still darkness. He could hear waves gently slapping the outside of the ship, and the hum of the engine, but that was it. There were no footsteps coming or even the feeling of eyes watching them. They were completely alone._

_"All clear!" he grinned in triumph as he pushed the lid off all the way and pulled himself out._

_Don followed on his heels and after sealing the lid back up, they started towards the lifeboats. Raph wasn't sure how he knew where they were, but he didn't doubt the fact he knew! Nor did he doubt they were going to get out of here!_

_Then he heard it._

_Just as they were bout to turn the corner, he heard a faint skittering noise from the room they'd left behind._

_His eyes widened._

_"Don, keep movin'!"_

_"What's wrong?" there was panic in his brother's tone._

_"I hear somethin'! Just keep goin'. We'll be alright!" Raph tried to assure himself as well as Donny as he ushered his little brother ahead of him. But instead of turning, the hallway seemed to grow longer and longer with every step they took. The skittering noise grew as well, until what seemed that thousands of little needle-like legs could be heard._

_"Raph..."_

_"Shhh!" he hissed, his hands going to his weapons. They hadn't been there before..._

_He blinked, then gasped as the noise turned into a roar. The sound wasn't human! It was a buzzing..._

_A deafening buzzing that was growing louder and louder..._

_"No! Donny run!" with a great heave he shoved his brother forward just as the lid on their former cage burst open with such force it struck the ceiling. The head of a fanged hornet shot out with a piercing scream. It's spike like appendages stabbed the ground as it hauled itself up. Thousands of others like it crawled up underneath it's bulk and advanced in waves._

_"What is..."_

_"Just keep goin'!" Raph roared, running behind his brother. His heart pounded in his chest as he ran faster and faster. His weapons useless against these creatures. "This is not real, this is not real, this is not..."_

_"AHH!"_

_A scream broke his chant._

_Raphael whipped around, his eyes narrowing as he saw his brother on the ground. Two large stingers had pierced his arms, and the horde was advancing. Some were already on top of his brother!_

_"Donny! Back off ya little maggots! Leave 'im alone!" he began to charge. Whatever he was afraid of, nothing terrified him more than the thought of loosing a brother!_

_His charge was slow, but undeterred by the wave of small bodies that continued to shoot at him. Some leaping onto him as he ran. Pain sliced up his chest, arms and legs as he moved, but he didn't stop! He couldn't! Not when his brother was lying motionless on the ground as thousands of insects began tearing into his flesh._

_"I said leave 'im!" Raph snarled, grabbing handfuls of hornets from his skin and throwing them to the side as he raced towards his brother. Curses ended on his tongue as he saw the largest rise up over Donny. It's fangs glowing red as if already steeped in blood. With one final cry, he gave a lunge for his brother, only be pushed back as he was stabbed by a multitude of stingers. Poison rushed through his veins, making even blinking a feat. Howling, he fought with everything he had, pushing himself up and crawling towards his brother despite the constant bites._

_Before he was there though, he could see there was no hope. The insects knew it to. Already his brother's lifeless body was being consumed, leaving bits of bone exposed._

_"No! Noooo! Donny!" his cry had no affect on the attackers as more came and leapt on him, pushing him backwards. Their tiny fangs ripped into his own flesh as their stingers did the slow work of paralyzing him. He could feel his life slipping away with every sting. Every bite. Every second. But his will to live, his need for vengeance pushed him onward. Then the Queen herself, the creator of these monsters stood over him. Her massive stinger slit through his chest, sending him into blind agony as he fought for each breath. Wild tears stained his cheeks._

_But it didn't end there. He could feel himself being lifted up by their appendages. Being shaken as something was yelled at him._

_His eyes traveled over to the partially consumed body of his brother, and with a sudden cry, Raphael fell on his last bit of strength! He twisted hard, pulling himself from the grasp. But he didn't stop there! He launched himself into an attack, his hands wrapping around the thin throat as he wrestled the hornet to the ground!_

_"LEAVE! ME! ALONE!!!" he screamed as loud as he could. His grip tightening until his knuckles turned white. There was a sick satisfaction that grew as he watched the life drain from the large eyes..._

_"R...aph..." the fanged mouth croaked causing him to gasp and pull back just as a weak appendage shot out and slammed against his head._

X

Raphael hit the metal ground with a smack. His eyes wide as he jerked himself up, trying to remember how to breath. Where...where was he? Where...he was here. He...

The lights overhead proved he was still in the cell with his brother. Still...

"Donny!" it might have been a dream, but he still needed to know his brother was alright! He still needed..."No..." everything inside of him stopped as he saw his brother.

Donny was laying completely motionless on the ground, his left hand balled into a weak fist, and a dark bruise was beginning to form around his neck.

To be continued...

A/N: (cackles evilly) Now honestly, who saw that one coming? Hope you guys liked it! Please let me know what you thought!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you guys for reading and your kind words! Mean's a lot! Hope you like what's next!

X

"D-Donny...Don..." his voice cracked as he moved forward, his entire body shaking as he took in the sight of his brother. His little brother...

What had he done?

What had he done?!

What...he wasn't thinking! Couldn't think at all! All he could see was his brother lying deathly still on the ground. All he could feel was the memory of flesh in his hands!

He'd...

"Please..." he didn't know if he was begging a higher power to spare his brother or himself to be trapped in another nightmare. The closer he came though, he knew it was no nightmare. "Donny..."

It took everything for him to move closer to his brother, his hands trembling uncontrollably as he held his breath, already feeling heat in his eyes well up as he reached out to feel for a pulse. As soon as he made contact with his brother's skin he was greeted with a harsh gasp followed by a groan causing him to jerk back.

His brother...he was alive! He was still alive!

Raph fell forward onto his hands, taking in a shuddering breath as he replayed the scene over and over in his mind. He...he had almost killed him! He had almost killed Donny! The hot blurriness in his eyes soon receded as the water trickled down his face only to be wiped away furiously with the heel of his hand. He wasn't going to start crying! Not now...not...

But he couldn't stop the choked sob of relief that echoed throughout the small room. For a split second all he wanted to do was pull his little brother into a hug and tell him how sorry he was! Whatever his intentions, his arms wouldn't move. Neither would his legs bring him closer, almost as if a wall had been put up. It was a clear wall. One he could see through and reassure himself that everything was alright. Passage through though was impossible. Not when he had almost...

He pushed the thought away so violently it came back twice as bad.

What was wrong with him?! He'd hurt his brother over a dream! He'd nearly strangled him...this was getting to be to much! This...he was loosing his mind! He had to be! Even now he could feel pain left over from the stingers in his nightmare as if they were real! His skin prickled and hurt, but only with a numbing sensation.

He wondered if the scientists would tell him something? If he could get anymore out of them if he acted right? The thought of having to ask them for anything made him sick, but he couldn't stop himself! Not when this was taking so much control away that...

"I...d-don't know if ya can hear me but...Donny I...I...just..." he tried to move past the wall, but it stopped him seconds before he could touch his brother. "I'm sorry."

Those two words seemed to rob him of everything. Even the ability to growl when minutes later the hatch was opened and he was summoned out. He moved slowly towards the opening, glad for the darkness that awaited him. But he never took his eyes from his brother.

X

Hours later Don's eyes fluttered open, his head and stomach spinning in opposite directions as he looked straight up, then cursed under his breath. How bright did those lights have to be?! Stifling a groan he rolled over onto his side, his mind muddled from everything that had happened. But unlike most times, he remembered exactly what happened and where he was.

He had been asleep when he heard Raph start to cry out. But it wasn't like the other nights. This night he was crying out for him. Telling him to run and screaming for him to be left alone! It had been enough to terrify and sadden Donny at the same time. Despite knowing it would hurt, he had moved closer to his brother, at first trying to get his attention verbally, then grabbing onto his shoulders, trying to shake him awake.

He was rewarded with exploding pain and his brother snarling and twisting out of his grip, then coming back and tackling him. He could still feel the presence of hands around his throat despite them being gone. After that...it was a blur.

If things had been normal he could have fended his brother off sooner, but...his hands. Something had been injected into him through Raph's hands! He didn't know how his brother did it, but it felt like spikes were stabbing him through the throat, causing him to go numb. It had taken everything he had and more to strike his brother and force him off.

Even then...

Don shook his head. He hoped he hadn't hit Raph to hard. With everything he'd been through even one more bruise could be...

"Hey..."

Donny gave a yelp at the voice and snapped his head towards it's source. He found his brother sitting against the wall and curled into himself as if he could disappear inside his shell. He looked like he'd been there for awhile.

"Sorry...didn't mean ta scare ya...again." there was a bitter quality to Raphael's tone, and a self-loathing smile that scared Donny more than he liked to admit.

"You didn't. I was just...surprised."

"This time..."

Donny sighed, subconsciously rubbing at his throat, then stopped when he saw his brother wince.

"Yeah...this time." he swallowed hard to see if he could get the spit past then took a deep breath. His throat stung, but it felt good inside his lungs as he breathed in and out. Finally, after catching his breath he started. "What were you dreaming about, Raph? What do you always dream about that scares you so bad?"

It was a point blank question that no one could get around, and after what had happened, 'stuff' and 'things ya know' wasn't going to cut it! His brother knew this! But he doubted it make it any easier.

Raph shifted uncomfortably for a few minutes before raising his eyes and gasping as he saw his brother was coming closer. He pulled back but Donny continued to move closer until they were only a foot apart. His little brother's eyes held his, the bruise on his neck more prompting than words.

"Bugs..." he didn't know where to start, so he said it as plainly as possible, waiting for the laughter. None came. Don only tilted his head as if to get a better look at him. Raph swallowed hard. "I...it's stupid I know. Just...somethin' that...freaks me out."

The last part was the most humiliating to admit to. In a world where they would never be accepted and each day was a fight for survival, his defiance and fearless mask was all he had. To admit to being frightened of something so small...so helpless itself was pathetic!

Again, there was no laughter or even a smirk as his brother silently waited out him out. It was a battle of wills that had unwittingly begun, and once Raph realized what it was, he knew he was going to loose this time.

Taking a deep breath, he started at the beginning. Unraveling the walls he'd spent days putting up to try and hide himself and his dreams from everyone else. He told his brother everything with apologies interwoven between them. His face grew hotter and hotter with every word and before long he could no longer meet his brother's gaze. But he didn't stop. Once he started, he couldn't. That's what he had been afraid of with Splinter. If he told him one thing, he'd tell him another thing and then another and another until it was all a circle and it left him looking like a fool!

But there was more to it than simple nightmares. After what Stockman told him when he had played 'dumb animal', he knew there was. That was another reason he didn't want to be close to Don or anyone right now! Not only because of what he'd done, but because of what he could do. What was happening inside of him...

That was another thing he had to tell Donny. Otherwise he'd just think he was crazy! And maybe he was! Maybe he was insane, but he had a reason to be! Once he finished telling his brother about the dreams, he made sure not to stop and wait for any proposed explanation or comfort.

"T-there's more. There's...these ain't just me bein' scared!" he declared fiercely.

Donny nodded.

"Does it have anything to do with why you asked me about turning into a bug?"

As usual, Don was dead on.

Raph nodded.

"Y-ya remember...back in that otha world when I got stung by that thing? I got hit twice..." he could still remember each second before he was hit. "That did somethin' ta me. Not gonna turn me inta a bug though." his smile fell flat as his brother's eyes bored into him.

Concern was plastered all over Donny's face, making Raph uncomfortable.

"I...they said I got some kinda extra mutation goin' on. That I got...infected with somethin' and it's turnin' my me inta...some kinda..." he ran his hand over his arms. They were small. Unnoticeable. But he could feel the small spike like things on his skin. "My skin's turnin' inta poison. I don't know how else ta say it."

Donny's eyes went wide, his jaw dropping as he studied his brother. Suddenly his mind flooded with questions, but his vocal chords wouldn't work.

"I touch someone...and it's like I'm poisonin' 'em. They said I might even start ta have nightmares...or hallucinations cause of what's happenin'. Cause..." he didn't know how to explain it. A part of him wished his brother would jump in with some explanation, but Donny only stared at him, wide eyed. "Cause I don't know what's goin' on...and I'm tryin' ta find a reason fer why it's hurtin'..." he locked his gaze on the floor. Great. Not only had he admitted to being scared of bugs but now he actually admitted this thing hurt!

"Anyways it's...somethin' like that I guess." he tried to wave it off like it was nothing, but it wasn't. Nothing was nothing anymore. "They said I've been in a...incubatin' period or somethin'. That I'm growin' the poison..." Raph swallowed hard before he said what he did next. "And it's killin' me."

"We'll figure something out Raph!" Donny stated so fiercely and suddenly it took the older turtle back. Ever since his brother told him what was happening, theories had started to swarm his mind. Ideas on how to reverse this and help him! There had to be a way! No problem had no solution and he was not going to let his brother think this one differed! "I know this is hard but don't..."

Raphael shook his head. His brother didn't understand what he meant, or maybe he didn't want to.

"This ain't just hard. This isn't somethin' I think ya can fix..." he held his brother's gaze tightly, aching to reach out to him if for nothing else than his own comfort. "I'm dyin' Don. I'm dyin'."

To Be continued...

A/N: Hope you guys liked it! Please let me know!

Hope you have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: (haven't done one of these in awhile) I do not own TMNT. And boy are they thankful for that!

A/N: Hey guys!! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so far and haven't come after me with pitchforks and torches. (senses some might be around the corner though) Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading! It means a lot!! You guys are awesome!! I hope you like what's next!

X

Dying.

His big brother was dying! And...there was nothing he could do to stop it! No medicine he could give, or rest he could prescribe or infection to clean. There was nothing he could do. Yet! There was nothing he could do, yet! He wasn't going to succumb to despair and there was no chance in shell he would let his brother die! First thing was first though. They had to get out of here and then he'd find a cure. Raph may have thought it was hopeless, but Donny didn't! As long as his brother was still alive, Donatello was convinced there was something he could do.

Time however was not on their side. Raph had explained his condition by saying that right now, the poison was just in his skin. Growing directly beneath. But soon it would start to move inward, eventually paralyzing his organs and heart.

Listening to him had almost made Donny sick. The way Raph was so...calm about the whole thing! Describing his death with hardly a shudder or any sign he was uncomfortable! It was an act, he was sure. But it was still a terrifying one to witness!

However calm Raph was about his fate though, it had seemed to give him a thirst for life. For freedom like never before and soon after, they'd begun concocting a plan for escape. It would take a day. Two at the most. But they could do it. Would do it! Then Don would find the cure!

He promised himself and Raph that he would!

_"I'm not going to sit back and let you die! So quit acting like I should!"_ he remembered snapping. Trying to get his brother angry, because then he knew he'd fight this.

Raph had only shaken his head though, muttering something Donny couldn't hear under his breath.

"Ya think Mike and Leo are ok?" Raphael asked as they sat underneath the hatch, waiting for their plan to begin.

"What do you mean?"

"They got hit too. Ya think..." his brother trailed off.

Donny nodded to himself. That had been something that worried him as well, but at the same time he doubted anything like this would happen to them. Not only because they showed no symptoms so far, but because they'd only been stung once. As well as the poison didn't seem to last to long. When Raph was first hit he spent nearly a day paralyzed in that dimension. Then he'd been hit again with the others right before they came home, and that time the poison hardly seemed to have an affect. A few minutes later and everyone seemed to be up and doing fine. Though he would run a few tests to make sure once they got out of here.

"I think they'll be alright." he didn't have time to go into detail as the sounds of footsteps approached and soon the door was opened. A signal was given for Raphael to come, and slowly he stood up, stumbling as he did so, though some of it was an act.

"It's gonna...be...alright, Donny. It's gonna be alright." Raph said as he was hauled up, adding to the act. His eyes blinked rapidly as they adjusted to the darkness that washed over him that became complete after the hatch was closed again. He could feel someone pulling his wrists behind his shell then cuffing them...

That was his cue. He took a step as if assuming they were on, then stumbled forward, slamming down onto the hatch. His knee split open.

The two ninjas present swore, and one struck him hard sending back to the ground.

"Idiot! Wait until they're on!" he growled.

Raph groaned slightly as he waited for them to finish adjusting the cuffs, all the while working his left foot against the sliding lock. Loosening it just a bit so it wouldn't be noticed...

Once the cuffs were adjusted he was hauled to his feet and half dragged towards the lab. A part of him was tensing up at the thought of what would come. Another part couldn't have been more pleased with himself. The next phase was up to Donny!

_"Go fer it, bro."_ he silently urged.

X

As soon as Donny was sure they were gone, he placed his hands flat along the hatch's underbelly and began to push. A slight metallic jangle greeted him. He paused. Waiting to see if someone noticed. When nothing happened, he pushed again. Harder this time. Then paused once more. Waiting. This repetition continued until finally some shadow sprayed into the room below and if he stood on his tiptoes he could just see outside.

His heart raced as he surveyed the room. Expecting a horde of foot ninjas to advance at any moment, or the Foot Elite to show up and kill him or take it out on his brother! A small part even expected Shredder himself...

Nothing.

Still darkness. That was all that greeted him. They probably thought he and Raph were to weak to do anything! Let alone plan something like this! But they were wrong.

Pride comes before a fall. Which was why Donny wasn't going to take any chances and assume there was no one there. He made a noise, then ducked down again. Extending his wait.

One.

Two.

Five minutes went by and nothing happened. Peaking up again, this time raising the lid higher, he looked around. The room was completely empty. He couldn't even feel himself being watched! Swallowing hard, he knew it was time to make his move and as carefully as possible, he pushed the lid off all the way. Then guided it back until it landed on the floor with only a small clink.

One more quick survey and he was out of the hole, pushing the door shut and on his guard in seconds. When no attack came he began making his way through the room towards a door-less opening. His footsteps were unsteady after spending so much time cramped up in the small room, and his eyes burned from lack of light. But he continued to press on. Feeling with his hands and making a mental map as he slinked along the corridors, pushing himself into the shadows whenever he heard someone coming.

After fifteen minutes, he'd only been passed twice by foot ninjas and managed to keep himself hidden. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. A way out was obvious. But how to get there was what he needed to find! There had to be stairs around here someplace! And once he found those, he might be able to sneak up and find where the lifeboats were, as well as the control room.

The first part of their plan involved escape. Their second part involved making sure they couldn't be followed!

_"C'mon! Be here!"_ he silently begged as he made his way through the shadows. Trying not to shiver from the cold. Suddenly his shivers ceased to be from the cold and instead came from the sound of a muffled scream. One he knew all to well...

_"Raphy?"_

He knew he should ignore it! That he should just keep moving...but...how could he ignore his brother's screams?! Raph never screamed! What were they doing to him?!

_"You can't do anything about it now! You know they won't kill him yet! You can't risk this opportunity!"_ the voice of reason blared inside his head. Normally he was good at listening to this voice. Hardly, if ever, did he disregard it. But he couldn't ignore his brother's screams! He couldn't!

But he had to.

His heart shattered as he took steps away from the screams and continued his search. Finally, after ten more minutes, he found the stairs. Small doors stood at the very top, with a faint hint of moonlight coming in through small square windows.

The screams still came...

Sick as it was, at least they told him his sibling was still alive! This wouldn't happen again though! This excavation was all they needed and then they were getting out of here!

Once he reached the end of the stairway, Donatello peered first out of the windows, then cracked the doors open a bit. There were two foot ninja standing guard a few yards from him. But they seemed to be alone. Not that he would be attacking. It just made this harder!

But he couldn't go back now. He had to find those lifeboats and control room! Taking in a quiet breath, he ignored his fatigue and crept out as silently as he could, stealing into the shadows. They didn't hear him, but he didn't allow himself a sigh of relief. Breathing wrong could change everything!

How much time did he have before they brought Raphael back? The calculations were silent in his mind as he moved, using the moon as an extra guide. It was a fairly cloudless night, but for once Donny wished it wasn't. Cloudy meant cover! Then again...

He barely bit back a sudden gasp as he looked over the side. It was far away, but he could see it! He could see the small junkyard island! Right there! Waiting for them! They could make it! Would make it! Then they could get home!

Somehow, this tiny bit of hope eased the guilt he'd felt for leaving his brother's screams unattended.

Before the moment could swallow him, he continued his surveillance. Counting his breaths and making sure to step the way Splinter had taught them in order to remain quiet. With encounters only consisting of spotting Foot ninjas, Donatello managed to find some lifeboats that hung over the side and the control room.

The very...

Empty control room.

"Hmmm..."

To do what he was about to was beyond idiotic! He should just wait! But he knew it was probably their best bet! They might not have time later and this...it was empty right now!

Without allowing himself to debate the matter, Donatello forced himself to react and steal into the control room. Humming machines and blinking lights surrounded him, making him wonder if he'd be able to find the right screen! Fortunately, his computer expertise prevented this from being a problem and after only minutes he found what he needed and began hacking. He silently worked, figuring out how long it was between when they returned his brother and when they came back for him. Then he programmed a little more time between now and when they'd come for Raph again into the computer, as well as a speed that would begin at that time and the ship's new direction.

A freaky grin crossed his face.

Mess with his brother would they?! He'd get them lost in the Atlantic ocean!

Clicking one more key to hide his activity, Donatello grinned in triumph as he watched the computer begin to process everything. His smile faded as he heard someone coming.

_"Shell!"_

His eyes went wide as he searched for a place to hide! Anyplace! But the room was small, and filled with computers. There was no place to hide! No large enough shadows, no holes no...

But the footsteps were getting closer! They were...

His heart raced as he jumped behind the door, crouching down to make himself seem smaller just as the door opened. The door swung over his foot, scraping off skin and biting his lip was all he could do to contain a gasp. Fortunately, the ninja who entered didn't seem to notice that, or even the computer as he went over to the steering wheel. Curses could be heard under his breath, making Donny wonder what happened, but not curious enough to stay!

Especially not as exposed as he was! After a tense five seconds of listening to see if anyone else was outside and silently praying the Foot wouldn't turn around, he dodged out the door. Then ran back the way he'd come, barely passing the foot guards as he went down the stairs and through the halls. His hands were shaking as he hefted up the hatch, expecting to find death waiting for him. But there was nothing but brightness as he slipped inside and closed the lid over him.

To Be Continued...

A/N: (Gasp) There's not a cliffhanger?! Oh my gosh! I ended without a cliffhanger! Or did I? hehehe. Hope you guys liked it! please let me know!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey guys!! Thank you so much for the reviews! Your kind words always mean so much and it really makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. Once again, hope you guys like what's next.

X

They should be coming now. As far as Donny had been able to calculate this was around the time they always came for his brother. He felt slightly sick at the fact he was waiting for them to come, but it was part of their plan. They had to get out when it would be least suspected. Meaning in the amount of time it took for Raph to be pulled out and dragged to the lab, they had to be at, if not in a lifeboat!

Once they got to the island, they could contact the others and be home in less than a day! How was he going to tell them what was going on though? It'd be better if Raph did it but...would he be able to?

Donny wasn't sure. But he knew they'd have to be told. Otherwise it put them at risk as well as Raph. Finding a cure for the incurable had never been easy and he didn't expect this time to be any different. He needed their help.

"When we get out, no matter what, just keep runnin' alright?" Raph whispered again. Locking his brown eyes to Donny's green ones. "I ain't kiddin' bro. Ya run!"

Donny shook his head.

"We've been over this, Raph. Even if you slow me down, I'm not leaving you behind!" his voice was stern, and if he could he would have smacked Raphael upside the head to drive the point home. His brother was so worried about him that Donny was worried he might do something stupid!

He mentally swore. If his brother did he'd kill him, then bring him back to life, cure him, then kill him again!

"Yer an idiot, Don. But thanks."

"You'd do the same for me. Guess that makes us both idiots."

A small chuckle was shared that petered off into comfortable silence. It was strange how calm they both were before an attempt that could cost them their lives if they failed.

"Listen Don...I really am sorry about the..." Raph gestured to his neck with a wince.

"Don't worry about it. I've had worse." Donny smiled, then tensed as the sound of footsteps overhead echoed throughout the small room. "You ready?"

Raph nodded and brought his hand, silently counting as they got closer. Once they hit a certain mark, he dropped a finger.

One.

Donny's hand mirrored his and as they moved forward, he put down a finger of his own.

Two.

They waited for a moment. Both locking eyes, silently going everything in their minds they had never said to the other. All the times they had shared, whether good or bad. And promising the other this wouldn't be the end of those times.

Then the hatch opened and their last fingers' fell.

Three.

Without seeming to move they were both up on their feet, and struck out into the darkness. Connecting with the shadowed legs they pulled the two ninjas inside. Both turtles worked in unison as they attacked the two before they could move to defend and with a quick jerk, they both grabbed the two ninja's heads and slammed them together as hard as they could. The result was instant unconsciousness and most likely a concussion. They didn't stay to see though.

Raph ushered Donny out ahead of him, then hauled himself up out the hatch, careful not to slam it closed. There was no time for a surveillance, though with their eyes now adjusting they couldn't have done one anyways. They had to feel their way through the halls while waiting for their eyes to start working again. It was always so dark down here! Maybe it was part of an escape prevention? Can't see, can't escape.

But they were. Raph knew they were...or at least...

He shook his head, keeping after the blur he knew was his brother and trying not gasp as pain raced up his side. Who knew being strapped down to a table and cut into could have such an affect?

"You alright?" Donny whispered.

"Just...keep...movin'!" Raph growled under what little breath he had. Cursing vehemently when his brother started to slow down.

Several minutes later and feeling as if he would pass out, Raphael stumbled up the stairs with his brother, barely able to keep his breathing low. It felt like his entire chest was going to explode! But that didn't matter! There hadn't been any encounters or even alarms!

He could see the moon's glow from the small windows at the top of the stairs and something inside him clenched. He was going to miss the night. Being with his brothers and hearing Splinter tell them stories with too much symbolism in them and making up quotes from ninja masters. He was going to miss April and Casey and the rest of his friends...

But it didn't matter. Time would move on. Things would go on. As long as they were safe, that's all that mattered to him.

Pushing past his thoughts, Raphael fell back on adrenaline as he forced himself up the remaining stairs then through the doors with his brother. Night air met him. Filling his lungs and causing him to breath deeper than he had in days!

Yes...he would miss the night. He could smell a storm brewing and the sound of choppy waves reached his ears, making him worry about the next part and his brother. A slick wind was pushing them onward, and Raph knew there was no going back.

"We're almost there, Raphy! We're gonna make it!" Donny grinned, as they darted into the shadows.

Raphael smirked. It had been a long time since Don called him 'Raphy.'

His smirk suddenly fell as a stifling pain shot up his chest sending him to the ground with a soft crash. His nails dug into the wooden floor to keep himself from crying out as he tried to breath.

"Raph! Raph are..." Donny shot around and out of desperation reached out for his brother.

"Don't touch me!" Raph snapped, biting his lip as he pushed himself to his hands and knees. "I'm alright. Just...I'm alright! Keep movin'!" he hissed.

Donny nodded, but didn't move until Raphael was up and moving with him. They were so close to the lifeboats! So close! Donny smiled as he thought of what would happen. They'd steal a lifeboat, then the Shredder would try to come after them but find his ship was being pulled in the opposite direction and there was nothing he could do! It was perfect! Already Donny could see the lifeboats ahead! They were going to make it! They were going to...

A sudden shadow came to life and slammed hard against the olive turtle, sending him skidding into the railing of the ship.

"Donny! Get offa him!" Raph snarled only to find a shadow was coming for him. He had seconds to turn and catch a glimpse of one of the Foot elite, and more importantly see their bare arm. As soon as they tackled him he latched onto their forearm, willing the poison to work. They wheeled back, but Raph moved as well, slamming the side of his foot into their head. They were out before they hit the ground and he was up and running towards his brother.

From the corner of his eye he saw more shadows coming to life. Coming after him! But he didn't care! He kept moving as fast as he could, pushing past the pain as he struggled to reach his brother.

Donny was holding his own alright. He'd managed to wrestle free from the Elite's grasp, but he was still being kept in close range. Toyed with. Steel glinted in the moonlight as it swiped over his brother's head, and made a strike downward, barley missing cutting him in half!

Raph was a foot away when two shadows in unison leapt onto him like the hornets from his dreams, sending him to the ground. Fully clothed there was no way he could inject them with poison, but that didn't matter! He'd fought in worse conditions and come out! Or at least that's what he told himself as he struggled. Striking wherever he could on what little breath he had. More shadows were coming for him. Their red symbols blazing in the night as if of their own accord, but he continued. Eventually he managed to grab hold of a small butterfly blade held by one and thrust it upward into the one pinning him down.

Blood splattered onto his face like a makeshift mask, but it had the desired effect. The man fell back and Raph rolled over, coming at the other with the blood stained knife before twisting around and throwing it at the ninja his brother fought.

It was a sloppy throw, but it still hit the man's arm. Biting deeply into the flesh.

Donatello didn't miss the opening and with a mighty kick, he jammed it further in, then wrenched it out barely keeping his head on his shoulders.

"Don! Get in the boat!" Raph yelled.

"Not without you!" Donny shouted back, throwing the butterfly knife Raph's way.

Raph snarled, but caught the blade and continued to close the distance between them. A part of him didn't even know how he was still standing. Let alone fighting! But he was. He was and he knew that's what mattered. As long as he stood, his brother had a chance!

A few minutes later they were back-to-back near the railing. From here it would take a few steps and one quick jump to land in the boat.

"Alright, I'm..." Raph started then gasped as the shadows grew into a horde of ninjas, pushing them back without attacking. And at their head was none other than a fully armed Shredder with Hun at his side.

Red eyes glanced over the two before an eerie laugh echoed throughout the night.

"Did you two freaks honestly think you could escape me? Do you know nothing of who I am?!" Shredder hissed as he took a step closer. His army of darkness mimicking his movement as if attached. "This...pitiful attempt was anticipated long ago!"

Raphael feigned a coughing fit, managing to instruct his brother to move towards the boat. Donny nodded, making it look as if he were trying to help his brother without touching him. They both took a few steps backward as Shredder moved forward again. Raph inwardly smirked. Shredder thought he was cornering them, but he wouldn't expect what Raph had in store. His grip tightened around the blade's hilt.

"I am only surprised you didn't try sooner! But it is of no concern now..." he raised his gauntlet and pointed directly at Donatello as his army began circling. "Raphael, I believe you know the price for this insolent action!"

"Yeah...I do..." Raph grimaced, then looked over at his brother, holding his gaze. It was now or never... "I'm sorry Don." hoping the poison wouldn't hurt his brother to much Raph made a sudden movement, grabbing Donny by his shoulders and shoving him over the edge into the lifeboat.

Donny hit the wooden boat with a hard thud. His limbs feeling numb but at the same time the contact hadn't been long and he was able to move a bit. When he looked up though, he felt his heart stopped. Raph...he was cutting the ropes!

"RAPH!"

"I told ya I'm dyin', Donny. That won't change if I leave or stay. But if I stay, they won't come afta ya." Raphael sighed, his face contorting before he locked eyes with his brother. For once an unguarded expression settled in his face, and the understanding it brought rocked Don to his core.

His brother...he'd never intended to leave. He only wanted to escape to give him a chance...

The poison was beginning to wear off but before Don could find the energy to move back up, Raphael threw the butterfly knife, and it slashed through the ropes with expert precision. A snapping sound echoed throughout the night.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaph!" Donny screamed as he plunged downward, hitting the choppy water with a hard smack. Watching in horror as the shadows advanced on his brother.

No! This was all wrong! This was...he had to get to him!

"Come...on!" he urged himself, grabbing at a paddle to fight the sea with...then he heard the sound that killed his hope. The engines began roaring to life and Donny had a split second to look before the ship began to shudder and shoot off in another direction; leaving large waves in their wake. He held tightly to the boat as it rose and spun. His stomach in knots as he watched the large shadow move away with Raph still on.

Hot angry tears welled up in his eyes as he replayed the scene over in his mind. Remembering the clarity in his brother's eyes and what it meant. His brother...his stupid brother! Why did...

With a cry to rival the storm he fought the pain and lingering numbness. Going after them in this little boat was impossible! He couldn't catch up fast enough and in his condition there was no way he could fight! He had to get the others! Get to the island and contact the others!

Grabbing onto the paddles he began struggling with the sea, cursing his brother and pushing himself towards the island. This wasn't over! Not yet!

To Be Continued...

A/N: Hope you guys liked it. Please let me know what you thought!

Hope you all have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: (feels all special) You guys are so awesome! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so far and your words mean a lot! I can't tell you how much they mean to me! (gives everyone a cookie) thanks for reading so far! I hope you guys like what's next!

X

Mikey limped back and forth as he waited for April to find something that would lead them to Donny and Raph. Hopefully it was something so obvious it put a neon sign to shame, but he wasn't picky. He just wanted to find his brothers! It had been three days since his father and brother brought the cell phone back and there was still nothing. He'd already been worried before but the more time passed...

"Michelangelo, sit down! You are going to injure yourself further!" Master Splinter's clipped voice cut through Mikey's panicked routine. But it didn't stop him. How could he sit down when his brother's were out there with who-knows-what happening to them?

"I'm fine, Sensei. April..."

"Not yet Mikey." the woman responded as she continued to work on Don's computer, trying to find something that would bring them a step closer. So far, all she found was garbled nonsense. She was pulling layers apart now to see if she could find meaning in any of it.

Mikey sighed as he plopped down on the couch next to his father, trying to ignore how his leg throbbed. According to April he was lucky the bullet hadn't broken a bone. Not that it would have mattered. He could have been in a full body cast and he'd still focus everything on finding his brothers! Even if sometimes that focus wasn't all that smart. Splinter had caught him just a few hours ago trying to sneak out and start his own search. It had earned him a wack on the head with Splinter's cane, and then a large hug.

Of course when April found out Casey had checked himself out of the hospital early and was doing his own search, he'd only been smacked in the head. It didn't stop him though. Casey was still out there looking.

"We will find them, my son. Do not worry." Splinter said as calmly as he could. Placing a hand on his son's shoulder. But his tail twitched nervously all the same. His small eyes traveled over towards the clock, then towards his eldest's room and he shook his head. Leonardo was still trying to see if he could contact them on the astral plane. Despite the fact he hardly had any experience with doing so, he was trying...and in the end only making himself more frustrated.

"I can't help it! All I can think about is what could be happening to 'em!" he held his head in his hands. "How do you stay so calm?"

Splinter sighed.

"It is not easy." he admitted. "Sometimes I have to list your brother's strengths over and over. Apart they are great. Together, they are more than enough to endure." the aging rat bowed his head. "And when that does not work, I simply tell myself your brothers would not leave us."

Mikey nodded, holding back a sigh. This was hurting him, but it was killing their dad!

"AGH!"

Seconds after the scream the blue turtle emerged. A deep scowl set on his face as he came down.

"Nothing." he spat. His fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white and Mikey was sure Leo's nails were digging into his skin by now.

"You tried, my son. That is more than enough."

Leo was about to make a comment when April cut him off and caused everyone's hearts to jump.

"I found something!"

"What?!" Mikey and Leo yelled in unison as they and their father bolted over towards the woman. Their eyes locked onto the screen she was looking at.

"Right here. Listen." she clicked play.

At first all they heard was another garbled sound. Then as it progressed they heard something else: waves.

"It's not much..." April turned up the sound, replaying the clip. Once she'd removed Hun's voice and other sounds and cleaned the background up some more, she'd managed to find it. "But it still tells us where Hun was when he made the call."

"The docks." Leo breathed. "Or by a river..."

"No river I know of sounds like that." Mikey pointed out. "Besides, what would Shredder be doing on a river?"

"He could have gone out to sea." Splinter spoke as if to himself. Trying not to let his fear show. The last time they had been on a boat, Shredder had not gone to far from land...but that only meant he might change now!

"We'll know soon enough!" April stated as she closed down the screen and opened another one. "Until now I hadn't thought about them using any kind of boat. But if they did, then the Coast Guard will know."

Ships were the same as airplanes. Before one left port, even for a short day trip, it had to make contact with certain authorities. To avoid suspicion, April had no doubt the Shredder would follow this rule. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she began to hack the system, working through file after file.

Before tension could begin to settle in, Mikey pulled himself away and pulled out his shell cell.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked mechanically.

"Calling the Prof on Homemade Island." it was a term he'd come up with to describe the former junkyard residents' new home. "If a ship came by, he'd probably have seen it! Maybe they're not too far out." he explained, not bothering to turn around at the slightly shocked expressions he knew he was getting. He could make a smart move once in awhile! "C'mon...pick up..."

He tapped his foot while April tapped the keys. Donny had made the Professor his own shell cell in case the Garbageman ever returned or they needed something else. So far though he was receiving nothing but static.

After several minutes, he closed he phone, then tried again, and again, and again. Impatience started to bubble inside his gut and he knew if this pattern continued he might just go out there himself! Before it came to that, a sudden warm voice filled the phone.

"Donatello?" the smile in the man's voice was evident.

"No. It's Mikey!"

"Michelangelo! How are..."

"I don't mean to cut you off Professor, but we have a problem here! Raph and Donny! They're missing!" as soon as he said the words he felt pulled in two completely different directions. One was to panic, the other was to get through this so he could strangle Shredder! He chose the latter, sucking in a deep breath, then releasing it slowly.

"Missing?! How did this happen?" his tone changed from pleasant to worried in a nanosecond.

"It's a long story. But I think you might be able to help us. We're pretty sure they got put on a ship. They might be close to you guys. Or at least passed you. Do you remember seeing anything? Does anybody?!"

Silence followed his question and Mikey chewed his lip nervously. He wasn't sure if the Professor was asking someone or trying to remember himself.

A few minutes later, his voice came back.

"I remember seeing one a few days ago. It didn't come that close, but we still kept an eye on it." they were always wary of ships. "Some of the people I spoke with though said it shot off in quite a hurry several hours ago, just as the storm began."

Mikey's heart sunk, but he pressed on with their only lead.

"Did you notice anything weird about it?"

"Hmmm...yes. I believe I did. There was a strange red symbol one side. A three pronged circle..."

"The Foot sign!" Mikey burst out. "Is there any chance you remember what direction it went? Any chance at all?!" if it was only a few hours ago they might be able to catch it! Donny showed him the sub he was working on! If they could use that, then they could get there and...

"No. I'm afraid I do not know. Once it was gone we ceased to...keep...my word..."

"WHAT?! What's wrong?!" the turtle all but screamed into the phone, unaware that his family and April had gathered behind him.

Another round of silence followed from the Professor, but Mikey kept on asking what was wrong. Begging to know what the Professor saw or remembered or...

"M-mikey?" Don's voice creaked over the line.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Hoped you liked it! Please let me know what you thought!

Hope you all have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: Hey guys! Once again thank you so much for your kind words! They mean a lot and I'm really glad you like the story so much. (feels all happy) Sorry about the belated update. I would have gotten it up sooner but the site was having some problems so I couldn't even login. I'm glad it's fixed now though! I hope you guys like what's coming up!

X

"Donny!" Mikey gasped spinning around to face his family. A large grin was on his face as he set the phone on speaker. His brother was on the island! He was alright! Why didn't the Professor tell them that?! Did he just get there? Where was...

"Mikey...l-listen to me! They...still...have him! They still have Raph!"

Mikey gave a harsh gasp as if the room had lost it's air. His stomach was in sudden knots and his grin died on his face as he ran that simple statement through his head over and over. They still had Raph. They had Raphy! But Donny was there! Donny was and it didn't make sense! He wouldn't have left Raph. Was this some kind of sick joke? He'd kill his brother if it was but he hoped...

As soon as Don began to give a brief explanation any hope that it had been a prank shattered. Everyone seemed to loose the ability to move or even breath as they listened and from the corner of his eye, Mikey could see Leo's hands shaking as he wrote down the coordinates they were given. Splinter didn't seem to move at all...instead he wore a look of pure terror and uncertainty on his face that rocked Mikey to his core. It was the same look he'd had when Leo crashed through April's window so long ago.

Once Donny reached the part of why Raph was still there though, Mikey saw his father's face contort in both concern and a flash of parental anger. Not that he blamed him!

He couldn't believe his brother would do that! There was a perfect chance to escape and Raph stayed behind?! As soon as he was home...well Mikey wasn't sure what he'd do but he'd do something! Even if it was just hug him to death.

"They'll...stop moving in...a few days. After that..." Don started coughing violently.

"Donatello!" Splinter gasped, his eyes widening.

"Rest my friend. Rest. It will be alright." the Professor's muffled voice came over the line, letting them know he was close by before he even began speaking to them. "We just found him in a lifeboat. He seems to have ingested some sea water."

What was meant for comfort only made the listeners more frantic, but they held it back.

"We'll come get you Don..." Leo started.

"No!" the turtle snapped. "Go...after Raph first! Don't even stop to get me! Just find him first! If you don't...they'll kill him! Or it will..." he didn't have time to explain what it was before he started coughing violently again. "Just...be...c-careful! Can't...touch him!" Donny choked out.

"My son, save your breath! Do not speak!" Splinter urged, but at the same time he needed more information. What was wrong with Raphael? What was 'it' and why couldn't they touch him? What had Shredder done to his child?!

"I will watch over him until you arrive." the Professor's soothing voice replaced Donny's. "But it sounds as if you must do as he says."

All eyes moved to Splinter. They knew their father wanted to reach Donatello now! Wanted to see for himself everything was alright. They also knew he realized the potential consequences of that action and even though the levels were different, he was being forced to choose one son over another. But it was a decision he could not shy from.

"We will find him, Donatello. In the meanwhile, do not hurt yourself further! Wait for us, my son." Splinter's voice was thick, but he managed to keep the panic out. "Thank you for your kindness Professor. But please, contact us if my son's condition worsens."

"Of course. And think nothing of it. Your sons are my dear friends. I only hope Raphael can be recovered safely."

"Thank you." Splinter said. There was no more time for pleasantries beyond that and as soon as the call finished April contacted Casey, then moved back to the computer to try and track the ship. Everyone else began rushing around pulling together a few supplies before heading for the sub.

"Don't even think about coming Mikey!" Leo started as they finished and he punched in the code on a small remote to call up the sub. There were some things that still needed improvement, his brother said, but from the test runs Donny talked about, Leo knew it would work for this.

The pool in their home began to churn as the top of the large bulbous sub became visible, reflecting light off it's metallic surface.

"Not gonna be able to stop me bro." the orange turtle threw back as he hefted his small bundle over his shoulder and headed towards the hatch.

"Michelangelo..." Splinter began with a sigh.

"I know I can't fight Sensei. But I can still drive you guys there. Besides, you might need me!" his voice was cocky at first then faltered. "Raph needs me." he added quietly, holding both their gazes, the simple fact that he was going standing firm against every argument they had. His brother was in trouble! His big brother who had always chased away the monsters for him and saved his shell and couldn't beat him at video games was in trouble! Raph needed him! There was no way he was just going to be left behind.

Half a minute passed before Splinter nodded.

"Alright. But you are to stay inside at all times!" he ordered before opening the hatch and sliding in followed by a nodding Mikey.

"I'll call if I find anything." April hollered after them. "Good luck!"

"Thanks April." Leo nodded before following his brother inside and closing the hatch. He only hoped Raph's luck could hold out until they found him!

X

It was over now. His brother was free. And it was over.

That was all Raphael could think of as he was held up by two Foot elite, forced to bow in front of the Shredder. The man's gauntlet was decorated with his blood. As was a good part of where he'd made his last stand. But it had been worth it!

He'd done enough to ensure they wouldn't go after Donny. Not that they could. His brother had made sure the engines were working nice and fast, pulling them farther out to sea. He only hoped his brother had made it to the island alright and didn't try anything...

"AHHH!" his thoughts cut off as the Shredder ripped into his face again then across his plastron. His torture had been going on for an hour with hardly any time to breath. The sad thing was, Shredder cutting him was the easiest part to take. The other parts...he wished he'd been unconscious for that, but that was the point. That he could feel everything. His nail beds were still bleeding from when they'd ripped out his nails half an hour ago.

"This could have all been avoided, Raphael!" Shredder hissed.

The turtle managed to crane his neck. Watching the armored man through a vision of red...still a smirk found it's way onto his face.

"Heh. And...let ya...kill my brother? Don't think so." Raphael sucked in a deep breath that he was forced to cough up when struck from behind. "Stockman...t-told me what he was gonna do...g-gonna infect Don with this..."

Shredder's red eyes narrowed. That loudmouthed idiot!

"Said...ya could...use this...crap...but yer...a turtle short now. And...I only got a onetime use." Raphael's mouth was bleeding profusely, slurring his words, and he was surprised half of his teeth weren't gone. But the angrier he kept Shredder at him, the less likely he was to even try and find Donny! That's why he'd stayed behind. Because he knew if they were both gone, Shredder would find a way to come after them. But as long as Shredder had him, he wouldn't go after Don or anyone in his family until it was to late. "S-sucks...fer you!"

He was silenced by another strike across the face. This time though, instead of with the razors, he was struck with the hard metal part. A small crack reached his ears. Was his jaw broken?

"By the time I am finished, you may be surprised at who has it worse! Or just how many uses you have." Shredder snarled. "As for your brother. You didn't save him. You've only condemned him to die at sea! And he will die! In his condition, he cannot survive these waves!"

Raphael bit back his worries and guilt with a snarl."He's...stronger...than ya think! S-stronger...than y...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" his cry was strangled as his arms were popped from their sockets, then popped back in. His entire world spun and breathing seemed impossible. Even as he was let go and collapsed onto the ground, peace alluded him. If anything laying down made him feel worse.

"Your brother will die, Raphael. And his blood is on your hands!" Shredder growled before kicking the turtle in the head, then straightening up. "Get this thing out of my sight and tell Stockman I wish to see him in my quarters at once! Also, let the others know there is no longer a need for kindness towards our guest."

Shredder examined his blood stained hand, watching in satisfaction from the corner of his eye as the turtle was forced up, then dragged away towards the lab. He was so worried about his pathetic family! If he was intelligent, he would be worried about himself! Would have gotten into the boat! But he wasn't intelligent. That's what having such a code of honor did to someone. It numbed their senses, attached strings that weren't needed, and in the end, Raphael had only prolonged his brother's freedom, or sent him to his death. Whatever it was, Shredder didn't care at the moment. It wasn't important. As a business man, he knew where to cut his losses and at this moment they had what was most important!

A sadistic smile twisted his face as he thought of what would come for the turtle and headed towards his quarters.

To Be Continued...

A/N: This chapter kinda gave me some trouble at the beginning, but I hope you guys liked it. Please let me know what you thought. Also, do you guys think I need to raise the rating to T instead of K+? Cause of this chapter I was thinking I might need to, to be safe.

Hope you all have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I decided to up the rating just to be safe, but I think the last chapter was as bad as it's going to get. So yeah. Thank you guys so much for your patience and kind words! It means a lot to me. Hope you like what's next.

X

When they first found out how far Shredder was going, a part of them all knew it would take days to reach Raphael. Though knowing something and accepting it were two different things and only after the time had stretched into four days did they up hope of reaching him sooner. The sub could only go so fast, and they had to take extra precautions because the weapons system was down. This knowledge did nothing to ease Splinter's anxiety and although he had always driven patience into his sons, he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait! Even meditation did nothing to help and it seemed as if every second his worry grew as thoughts of what his son could be going through slammed around his mind. But it wasn't just what his son was dealing with at the hands of the Shredder that terrified him. A little after they had left on the first day, Donatello had called back and managed to explain what 'it' was.

He said he didn't know much about it, but he told them everything Raphael had told him. Including the part about it being lethal.

After hearing that, Splinter had fought every parental urge that told him to despair and railed against the sudden voice in his mind that repeated over and over every parents worst nightmare: _"Your child is dying and there is nothing you can do."_

That may be how the situation looked, but his son was not dead yet and he would not act as though he were. As long as Raphael was alive, there was a chance to save him and Splinter would sell his soul if that's what it took. But if he allowed his heart and mind to dwell on the uncertainties, remaining calm was almost impossible. No parent should ever have to loose a child. No parent should bear that burden and...he was not sure he could.

When he first found them, he never intended on becoming their father. He never intended to fall in love with them or train them and raise them as his own. Before he was mutated, he saw them simply as things that needed help, but they were not his kind. Not his. But they were. From the moment he found them they became his children. His precious, special children.

The knot that had settled in his chest began to expand and sink further as he thought about his rebellious son, then was forced to push those thoughts away. His mind steeling for the battle that lay ahead. They would find Raphael and they would find a cure.

"Michelangelo, how soon will we arrive?" Splinter asked, his grip tightening around his cane.

"'Bout...ten minutes, Sensei!" Mikey answered, looking down at the screen in front of him that showed where Shredder's ship was. April had called them back and given them constant updates on where to avoid Coast Guard patrols and helped them keep the air levels stable by reading them instructions from Donny's notes.

The rat nodded, then undid his seatbelt and stood, finding his balance as he walked towards the back where his eldest sat cross-legged and silent. His swords lay across his lap, freshly sharpened.

"We are almost there." Splinter touched Leo's shoulder gently. Blue eyes snapped open and he nodded, still looking forward.

"Hai Sensei." he picked himself up, and quickly dressed in the ragtag outfit they had managed to put together so that he could carry his brother if need be. Then he followed his father in selecting a few more weapons to bring. Mostly throwing knives, though he did attach a short dagger to his belt as well and filled a small pouch with smoke bombs, all the while mentally cursing Shredder and his brother. Leo still couldn't believe Raph had done that. There had been a perfect chance to escape and yet he stayed behind to die!

Even if Leonardo would have done the same, it still angered him that his brother had! Though if he was honest, a good portion of that anger was anguish he wouldn't dwell on. Protecting his family meant everything to him, and now there was something he couldn't protect his brother from. Something besides Shredder that was destroying him. And that idiot had stayed behind! He made a mental note to kick Raph's shell when he was safe, then inwardly groaned at the thought.

_"See what you're doing to me, hothead? You're making me think like you!"_ Leo mentally cursed, shaking his head bitterly.

"Attention rats and turtles, this is your devilishly handsome captain speaking. We are now approaching Shred head's ship, please be ready to board and maim in two minutes!" Mikey called back with a laugh that felt flat even to him and both passengers knew he was struggling to keep his fear and heartache under control.

Two minutes passed quicker than anyone thought possible and soon they were right next to Shredder's ship, coming up just above the water line.

Splinter was already on the ladder and working his way up.

"Remember my son, stay inside." he instructed before opening the hatch and looking around.

"Yes Master Splinter." Mikey sighed as he handed Leo a headset then adjusted his own, tapping the microphone once to see if it worked. When his brother winced, he knew it did. "Be careful alright?"

"We will." Leo started towards the ladder, then turned and gave his brother's shoulder a quick squeeze. "Don't worry Mike. We'll bring him back."

The youngest nodded, giving his brother's hand a squeeze before leaning back and watching him leave.

"Leo?" he called back.

"Yeah?" the oldest looked down.

"Can you tell Raph...I'm sorry I burned the coffee?"

Leo sighed and shook his head, resisting the urge to go back and hug his brother.

"How about you tell him when we bring him back? I'm sure it'd mean more coming from you anyways." he gave a comforting smile, then without another word, slipped out and closed the hatch.

X

Silence reigned over the pair as they made their way up the side of Shredder's ship in the moonlight. Digging into the metal with their spiked hand-bands and leaving a trail of small holes in their wake. Leonardo watched his father in awe as he moved about like some kind of shadow. It never ceased to amaze him how Splinter could look like an aging rat one moment, then turn around and become one of the deadliest warriors he knew of.

The warrior the Foot would see tonight.

Leo braced himself against emotion as he moved upward. He'd never liked killing, but a part of him knew that there were those he fought who didn't get up again. When it came to his brothers though, their lives and the life of his father, he didn't care. Not then at least.

He shook his head, then craned his neck upward. Trying to see if there was a guard. No shadows moved about, but he saw his father slowing all the same as they moved upward. His small eyes watching for movement.

Once they reached the railing though, there was no more watching. No more waiting. There was only action as they flipped themselves over the side then hurriedly sheathed their spikes as they moved into the shadows. When Donny had called to explain about Raph, he had managed to give them a brief outline of the ship and where things were.

"Do you see the doors your brother spoke of?" Splinter asked as he looked around a corner, then pulled back. There was a small group of Foot ninja walking around. Their hands ready on weapons. They'd just missed the nightly guard.

"Not yet." Leo whispered as he pushed himself deeper into the shadows until the guards passed. Then he poked his head out and looked down one side while his father looked down the other. There were two small metal mounds on the deck of the ship. The shadows of one that housed the control room was their hiding place...but the other...

Leo stuck his head out further.

"I think I see something...I don't know if that's where the stairs are but they might be." he said.

Splinter nodded, and followed his son. Dodging back and forth between shadows until they reached the small structure. Relieved smiles crossed their faces as they approached, clearly seeing the doors ahead.

Then their smiles fell as they sensed a presence from behind and moved just in time to avoid the attack that came.

Leonardo rolled to one side then sprang up, his swords flashing in the moonlight as he pulled them from their sheaths barely having time to counter the attacking spear. He could hear the ninja snarling underneath the black mask and met it with his own. Pushing upward with one blade he kept the other held at a steady pressure for defense. Moving as one with his swords. From the corner of his eye, he could see his father was doing the same with his cane and seconds later Splinter's attacker was flung overboard. But more ninjas started to come. A silent alarm must have been raised.

"We must get below!" Splinter called out as he ducked under a naginta then came up with his cane, slamming the blunt end into his attackers jaw before spinning around and throwing several blades at others; catching them in the legs and sending them to the ground.

Leo nodded as he worked his way towards his father against the horde of black clad ninja. All aiming for his heart and head. All dreaming of his death. He wouldn't die tonight. No one in his family would!

That was a thought both warriors shared as they moved. Ducking and rolling, coming up strong and barely avoiding sharp metal and stiff wood. Another thought they shared was that Shredder must have been informed of their presence by now, and it was only a matter of time before he showed himself.

"Leonardo, allow yourself to be pushed towards the doors!" Splinter yelled out in Japanese knowing a good portion of the ninjas they fought would not understand what he said. That was one of the advantages to fighting normal Foot soldiers. All were skilled martial artists, but not all hailed from Japan, or even spoke the language. Most were simply former criminals. Ones who would not be missed and had need of the direction Shredder offered.

"Hai!" Leo called back, doing just that and soon his father and he were being pushed where they needed to be. Cornered in a sense, and perhaps they were. Two more foot ninjas came from behind the doors they needed to get through.

Splinter leapt up with a cry, slamming the side of his foot into ones head before whipping around midair and bringing down his cane on top of the other's skull. They both went down with a crash, and with a quick movement, Splinter kicked one of the doors open. Then reached out and grabbed his son's shoulders, jerking him inside. They slammed the doors closed and Splinter hurriedly shoved his cane through the handles just as pressure grew and tips of steel came through the wood.

"Hurry, my son!"

Leo wasted no time responding and instead followed his father down the stairs. Then stopped short as he heard something...

"Sensei, duck!" he hissed before flipping over his father and delivering a split kick to the two advancing shadows, sending them falling down the stairs and into an oncoming group. Hardly anyone avoided the fall and those that did were soon dealt with as father and son attacked as one.

Sounds of bones cracking and groans filled the hall and when they arrived at the bottom, the floor was padded with ninjas.

"This way." Splinter's silhouette nodded towards the left before he took off running, his son at his heels. Donatello hadn't been able to tell them exactly where the lab was, but he told them what direction he'd heard Raphael's cries come from. It was their best bet. Unless he was still in the cell, but Splinter doubted that. Still...

"Leonardo. Do you remember the way to your brother's..."

"I'm on it!" before Splinter could finish Leo had completely changed directions and disappeared into the darkness.

The rat silently prayed his son would be alright before turning his attention towards the presumed location and racing ahead. All the while memories of his younger son ran through his mind, fueling him onward: the first time Raphael took a step on his own, his first word which had been a rather inappropriate one, but made Splinter smirk all the same. He thought of how his son always guarded himself against affection, yet when he thought no one was looking, gave it freely to his brothers. He thought of the stubbornness that rooted Raphael and the fire that burned inside of him. A fire Shredder would never put out! No matter how strong or ruthless that man was, Raphael would survive. Because it was his very nature to survive. To live!

That's what the fire inside his son was. It came out as anger, but it was more! It was his passion and compassion! His drive to succeed and protect those he cared for! To live another day in defiance of odds! His son's fire was untouchable. Unbreakable!

He knew it! Splinter believed this with every fiber of his being.

Then he kicked the doors open to the lab, pulled out his small blade...and saw what they had done to his son.

Raphael was unconscious, floating inside a liquid filled cylinder tank; his body a maze of scars and wounds that still bled, giving the illusion of crimson puppet strings. His plastron was broken in several places and ten large needles that attached to thin tubes outside were jabbed into his neck, arms, legs, sides and even face, seemingly retrieving or delivering a clear thick substance. An oxygen mask lay over his mouth and beak...but for a moment Splinter wondered if air was necessary at all. His son's head was completely rolled back, completely blank and he could see no sign of the chest rising or falling.

"No..."

His child. His son...

He looked dead.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Hoped you liked it. Please let me know what you thought!

Hope you have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: First off thank you guys so much for your kind words! It really means a lot to me, though I'm still not coming out from behind my shield! Last time I did I nearly got clipped with a throwing knife! (gulp) Secondly, MY SENIOR THESIS IS FINALLY TURNED IN!!!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm free! I'm freeeeeee!!! Please enjoy this next chapter.

X

_What would it be like to loose them?_

Since the first time he called them sons there had been a voice in the back of his head whenever danger came, always asking what it would be like if they left him. If he lost even one of his children, could his heart survive? There were times he answered yes. That his love for the others would make it so. But then there were times like this, when the question was not simply in his mind but before his eyes. Daring him to answer, and showing him every moment after where his son would be absent.

And he knew then if one of his children died it would destroy him.

"Raphael..." he could feel a thickness settle in his throat, but before anything else could be said or done, he heard the sound of metal slicing through the air, and his grief turned to rage.

With a snarl that seemed to come from hell itself the rat whipped around with bared teeth and leapt up avoiding the steel, then came down on the other side of the shadow and slammed his blade through the dark back. A cry rang out but he ignored it as he pulled the blade out spraying red drops like rubies and whirled to meet another attacker, this time crouching down and ripping across their stomach with his claw and then sending a front kick straight for their head. It made a solid connection, and his eyes narrowed as more shadows came to life. But he wasn't simply focusing on the ninjas. Instead his eyes were scanning for the scientists behind his son's condition. Some were running towards the doors, but he didn't stop them.

He was searching for one in particular who he knew must have been pulling a great deal of the strings. So far though, he couldn't find Stockman among his colleagues.

With a quick twist he skidded around a pair of coming ninja then dodged back and forth between their attacking spears before leaping on top and performing a split kick that broke both noses. Using the momentum from that he flipped backwards, allowing himself to be pushed towards his son. His greatest concern aside from freeing Raphael was cutting the tubes that held the liquid in them. He didn't know what they held or what direction the liquid was going but he knew they would need to be dealt with. Anything these monsters were injecting into or taking from his son could only be harmful!

His knife worked faster than most would think possible as he dodged blades and hacked through the chords. From the way the substance was drained away leaving none to spill he knew they had been taking something. What it was though he didn't have think about. He didn't have time to think at all. If he stopped to think then he'd stop to worry. The closer he was, the more he could see the faint rise and fall of his son's chest, and monitors that seemed to be recording his vitals gave back the information that he was alive.

But it could all be a lie.

Here in the Shredder's domain anything could be.

_'It will be alright my son. It will be alright.'_ he mentally chanted as much for his benefit as Raphael's before he slashed down on the final tube, and leapt back; now turning his attention to the glass cage.

"HIYAH!" a cry rose up from a shadow as he moved and Splinter reacted a second before it was to late, plunging a blade into the man's shoulder before hitting him hard in the solar plexus and with a quick move broke his knee and sent him to the ground with a gasping groan.

The rat looked around as he moved towards the blood splattered case. Ten minutes later and it seemed as if the battle were over. Seemed, though, was different from reality. The Shredder had yet to be faced and his stomach was in knots as he thought of his eldest son. Where was Leonardo?!

He tried to calm his breathing as he worked on slicing through the thick glass, but it seemed impossible to quell his anxiety. Especially in regards to the son in front of him. Never before had he seen Raphael so devoid of life. Even relaxed his son always had an edge that said he was ready to move at the slightest provocation.

Now...

"You will be alright do you understand me, my son? You are not to concede this battle!" his tone was mixed with harshness and grief as he worked through the glass, trying to keep his mind focused.

"I wouldn't do that." Stockman's smug voice entered the room. "Not if you want him to live anyways..."

Splinter snarled with renewed rage as he turned to face the former man only to see one of Stockman's mechanical arms produce a small plated oval and throw it in his direction. The rat's eyes widened, but he didn't hesitate or stare. Instead he was up and moving releasing a barrage of throwing knives directed at the small bomb thrown his way.

As soon as a blade pierced the middle a deafening explosion shook the room and fire seemed to burn in the air. But Splinter was already in mid-leap, avoiding the shaking of the floor as he back flipped over several bodies, watching Stockman's retreating form. He cursed under his breath in Japanese but turned back to his son. If he had found Stockman during the original fight there would have been no escape, and Stockman knew it. But for now he could let go of his need for vengeance in exchange for Raphael's life. The fire was small and quickly under control as sprinklers overhead began dousing the flames, but it still pushed him to move faster in the fear it could consume the room. Before he could continue to cut the chamber apart though he heard the sounds of a body being thrown into the room and moved just in time to avoid the his eldest son as he flew through the receding smoky air.

"Ahhh!" Leo's cry was cut short as he slammed hard into the glass container causing a large crack to splinter up the side as he bounced off and landed on his knees.

"Leonardo, what happened?!" Splinter gasped grabbing onto his son's arm and hauling him to his feet. Leo's right arm was bleeding profusely and he had a large darkening bruise on his chin.

"Nothing good." the turtle jerked his head towards the door just as Shredder entered, his metal armor catching the light from the dying flames. Leonardo growled under his breath as he collected his balance, then gasped as he caught sight of what he'd crashed into. "Raph..." for a moment his world lost its bottom as he stared at the seemingly lifeless face of his brother.

"Hurry, retrieve your brother! I will deal with the Shredder!" Splinter ordered with such snap it jerked Leo from his stupor. Once his son had started, the ninja master rushed towards the imposing figure, then leapt back to avoid being slammed into as Hun burst in at his Master's side.

Splinter snarled as he came up, taking a defensive position as he watched Hun come after him again in an attempt to reach Leonardo and Raphael. He ducked a hard blow to his skull, then twisted around still close to the ground before coming up and slashing the man hard across the back with his claw. Hun gave a short gasp, but he didn't stop and Splinter barely managed to avoid impalement as Shredder attacked from behind with his gauntlet. From the corner of his eye, he could see Leonardo was carving up the case his brother was in while defending against a few foolish Foot ninjas who managed to stand once again, and preparing to fight against Hun.

Skirting behind the Shredder, Splinter stabbed one of his throwing knives into the man's knee. The man was still able to kick at him though, but Splinter didn't care. He just needed to slow the Shredder for a moment so he could reach Hun. But just as he seemed to reach the man Hun whipped around and slammed a large fist into his face. This sent the rat sprawling backwards and he felt a fiery pain blossom in his shoulder as the Shredder barely missed stabbing him in the spine.

"Sensei!" Leo cried out as he saw two metallic points protruding from his father's shoulder.

"Focus!" the rat yelled back as he ripped himself from the blade and retightened the grip on his knife. Bringing it up in time to counter the Shredder's attack. Half his attention moved to his son though as he saw Hun approach.

"Leonar..." was all the warning he could give before Hun attacked, driving his fist towards the turtle.

Leo managed to move in time, causing Hun's fist to make contact with the metal base of the cylinder. Golden sparks spewed and another large crack ran up the side, furthering Leo's goal. The turtle sneered as he raced towards the man, then at the last second skidded around him, slashing at a downward angle on the other side of the base. More sparks erected and more cracks rose up the container. If the glass hadn't been so thick it would have been easier to get his brother out, but a part of him knew that was the point of making it so resilient.

Cutting through where Hun had made the largest crack was probably his best bet of freeing his brother. Now he just had to get past the giant.

"You freaks just don't know when to stay down!" Hun snarled as he moved towards Leonardo with more speed than should be possible of a man his size.

"No, you don't!" Leo jeered as he faked left, then dodged right and flipped over the man, slamming his foot into the back of his head before landing and thrusting his sword through the crack. Almost instantly an ear splitting screech of shattering glass mixed with rushing liquid consumed the room and Raphael's oxygen mask snapped off as he hit the glass littered ground with a dull thud. Several of the needles dug in further, but he gave no hint he could feel it or anything else as he lay in a pool of deluded blood.

Leo's chest clenched as he looked at his brother, but he didn't dwell on the fear. Instead he moved as fast as he could, sheathing one sword as he placed himself between his brother as a disorientated Hun came.

The man let out a roar and raced towards the turtle. He was through playing this game!

So was Leo.

The turtle watched as he man approached and in a quick movement stabbed his sword into the floor and spun himself around on it. His heels connected solidly with Hun's jaw, but he didn't stop there. He whipped himself up into a leap and slammed foot after foot into Hun's face, using the momentum from the attack to continue going before giving one final twist and connecting his knee with the man's head. Hun went spiraling backwards into one of the monitors sending sparks everywhere and as the man fell forward onto the hard ground, Leo wondered if he hadn't been electrocuted. Not that he cared.

Without wasting time he sheathed his sword and scooped up his brother, trying not to gasp at how light he felt or how his head fell as if he were no more than a rag doll.

"Hold on for me, alright bro? Just hold on." he ordered, careful to avoid any kind of skin contact as he held Raph tighter and raced towards where their father still fought. He could hear the faint murmurings of some ninja behind him, but he doubted they'd fight.

"Mikey, get ready to move!" he ordered through the headset. Thinking ahead was the only way he could keep moving without becoming distracted by his brother's condition. However another distraction presented itself in the form of his youngest brother's absent voice. "Mikey?"

There was no time for anything else before he saw his father stumbling towards him and moved just in time to avoid the collision.

"Sensei..." Leo gasped at the sight of his father's wounds, but found himself taking a step back as Shredder came closer.

"Did you honestly think we did not sense your presence?" the Shredder chuckled, his voice covering the room like a dark veil.

Leonardo felt his heart stop for a moment and he could see his father react the same. What happened to Mikey?!

"As we speak, Michelangelo is being carved up by my Foot ninja." he smirked underneath his helmet. "You should have sacrificed the one instead of your entire family, rodent!"

"We sacrifice no one." Splinter answered evenly, his mind working faster than thought possible as he tried to think of how to save all his sons. Then he inwardly nodded knowing what he must do.

"Fitting. As a fool you lived, so foolish shall your last words be!" Saki howled as he raced towards the trio.

Splinter brandished his small blade, inwardly accepting his fate as the man drew closer. But he gave a final order.

"My son, take you brother and find Michelangelo, then leave!" he hissed.

Leonardo felt his breath catch and he took another step backwards as if struck. What?! Leave his father? Leave? But...he...he couldn't! It wasn't right! It...he wouldn't leave his father to die. It was unthinkable!

"Are you listening Leonardo? Save your brothers!" Splinter ordered again, this time with more bite in his tone.

It took everything inside Leo not to scream in defiance. He knew what his father was doing. He was going to stay so they could live. It was no wonder where Raphael had picked up his heroic streak! And it made Leonardo sick with rage. The thought of leaving their father for whatever reason or order...it...

That was to much! He couldn't do it! Wouldn't! The weight in his arms though, reminded him why he had to. He had to...to...leave his father and save his brothers.

"Yes...father." he whispered, biting back the wave of emotion as he waited and readied himself to run without looking back.

Time seemed to slow as the Shredder covered the final distance between them, his gauntlet raised to kill and for a moment Leonardo felt as if he would die as well...

Then a sudden orange and green blur slammed into Shredder from the side with enough force he went spiraling off course and into a wall. He almost managed to slash the blur as he whirled around, but it was already moving away.

"Mikey!" Leo gasped.

"Told ya, you might need me!" Mikey threw him a grin and Leo wasn't sure he had ever been so thankful to see his brother before.

To Be Continued...

A/N: For some reason this chapter was really hard to write. The draft was easy, but then sprucing it up was just hard! Don't really know why. (is still happy about thesis being over) Anyways I hoped you guys liked it, please let me know what you thought.

Hope you have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Sorry for the late update. With my senior thesis over I thought school would be easier. But I think they're trying to make up for the lack of pressure with that in other ways. (flops over) Anyways, thank you guys so much for your constant support! It means so much for me and really kept me going on this chapter. Hope you like it.

X

Relief was short lived as Shredder's howl echoed throughout the room snapping everyone's attention back to the man as he regained his footing. His eyes narrowed at the youngest turtle.

"Leonardo, get your brother out of here! Michelangelo, follow behind them!" Splinter ordered as he skidded around the side to where his son stood giving him a hard push and raising his blade in time to block the Shredder's strike.

"Master what about..." Mikey gasped, his nunchucks twirling nervously. In the dim light, the red that decorated his face and body were easily seen as was his awkward stance due to his injury.

"I will be fine! Go!" he yelled, shooting a glare at his sons that told them to move.

"But..."

"C'mon Mike!" those were the two hardest words Leonardo had ever uttered but they were said, and the affect was not lost as his youngest brother ran after him, completely trusting everything would be alright. Leo only hoped his brother's intervention had been enough to save their father.

Shaking his head as they ran down the long hallways, Leo tried to block out the fading sounds of the battle, silently praying to whoever could hear that his father would be alright. They couldn't loose him! Not now. He told them, once they were older, that he would not always be around, and that they would one day have to move forward without him. But not now. They were still so young and...to have Raph wake up to that? Wake up to the fact their father had died to save him? Leo knew it would kill his brother. Even if he kept everything inside, the guilt would consume him and...

"It'll be fine. It'll be fine." he muttered to himself and his siblings as he sprinted over the still fallen bodies of the Foot ninja. Some were beginning to rise, but Michelangelo's nunchucks saw they stayed down.

"You think Sensei will be alright?" Mikey asked as they shot for the stairs.

"He..." Leo started then cut himself off. "He's Sensei. What do you think?"

There was more harshness in his tone than he'd intended but Mikey didn't seem to pick up on it, or if he did, he didn't care. Same as Leo, all he was focused on right now was escaping and saving their family. That focus became even purer as they turned the corner and headed up the stairs, and several long shadows appeared. The Foot Elite stood in their way...

_BOOM!!!_

A large explosion below nearly sent them into the wall and both turtles whipped around, watching as smoke came rushing up from below.

"SENSEI!" they cried in unison. What had happened?! What...no!

Surprisingly Michelangelo was the first to react and turned his rage on the Elite guard in front of him. He ran as fast as he could with his damaged leg and flipped up over his brother's head, his weapons spinning in mesmerizing circles of death as he raced towards them.

"Leo! Get Raph outta here!" he yelled as he drew closer and brought one of his chucks down on a shoulder that disappeared in a puff of smoke. He felt a hand slam into the back his shell and spun around just in time to avoid impalement from another coming at him from the side. Then another guard appeared in front of him, and a large ax swung for his neck. He barely dodged it as his eyes searched for his brother. Where was...

Then he saw Raph on the ground and suddenly heard a cry as Leonardo came up from behind and with a crisscrossing gesture caught one of the Elite across the chest. Blood spewed, but it wasn't enough to kill him as the man turned in the turtle's steel grip and with a knife-hand strike hit him in the neck sending him stumbling into the side of the stairwell gasping for air.

"Leo..." Mikey tried to order again but was cut off as another guard came at him surrounding him from the front and back while two went after his brother. Inwardly spewing curses only Raph had used, Michelangelo whirled around, desperate for an escape route while trying to keep an eye on his brothers. Leo was struggling to keep the two guards at bay while fighting for an opening to get out, but Raph was who he was most concerned about. He was simply lying on the stairs, bleeding sluggishly...and in direct line of attack for the guard if they got close enough. This battle needed Leo though. Shell it needed all four of them!

And Sensei...

Anger and pain spurred Michelangelo on as he twisted around and snarled like a demonic animal as he fought, trying to find some opening.

Then an opening occurred, but it wasn't the one they needed. Instead it came when one of the guards hurled Leonardo to the side and despite his wounds brought up his naginta and aimed it directly at Raphael.

"NO!" Leo yelled as he struggled to his feet then attacked to late. His mind froze as he watched the weapon hurtle towards his brother as he moved to stop it. But he couldn't. No matter how he tried he knew...

"KIYAH!" a cry from below rose up as Splinter's form crashed out of her smoke, his bleeding paw catching the spear just before it struck his son's heart. "I told you to leave!" he bellowed.

"Master!" Leo gasped.

"Father!" Mikey grinned.

Their father was bleeding sluggishly from a wound in his side that soaked his robe and long gashes in his face coated his eyes with red, but he was alive! Their father was alive!

Without an answer to their cries, Splinter turned the weapon around, and instead of hurling at the man who wielded it threw it at one of the elite his youngest fought. A sickening sound of metal piercing flesh and bouncing off bones was heard, but only the elite seemed to hear it as they doubled their attacks.

With one look, Splinter told Leonardo to get Raphael to safety and Michelangelo and him would deal with the elite.

"Hurry! The Shredder is not far behind!" he snapped doing his best to distract the remaining guard as his eldest scooped up his other child and raced up the blood-coated stairs, nearly stumbling over the remnants of a broken cane before he burst out of the stairwell.

Back to back with his youngest, Splinter systematically fought against the guard while working their way towards the open doors. They were almost there when they heard the Shredder coming and knew if they stayed any longer they wouldn't make it out alive.

Splinter didn't have to issue the order to retreat for his son to begin working to do just that. As the elite guards advanced, the mutant's own attacks lessoned as they fell back into purely defensive positions, using the attacks to be pushed further along. Metallic footsteps thundered towards them and in a decisive movement Splinter issued an order then contrasted himself in his movements allowing them the opportunity to escape up the remaining stairs.

Cool crisp night air filled their lungs and bit at their wounds as they burst out of the doors and raced towards the railing. Cries and thundering multitudes rose behind them, but they were already at the edge by the time Shredder emerged from the shadows.

Giving his son an extra hard push over the railing Splinter followed as knives bit at their backs, flying over head as they dove into the murky water. On impact, Splinter fought the urge to gasp and take water in as the salty waves mixed with his wounds. His eyes narrowed underneath from the strain as he searched for his son and found his shadowy figure through the water, as well as the subs form. He shot forward, going by his son first and grabbing his arm to keep him on the path towards the sub while keeping themselves low as arrows and even guns were fired into the water.

He did his best to protect his son as they continued to swim and finally came upon the machine. Leonardo could be seen at the controls through the window and he began frantically gastrulating for them to go around back and below as he descended. His motions indicated that Foot ninja were on top and waiting for them.

The pair nodded in unison as they swam around back then went underneath where Leo had motioned them. Once there, a door opened just above their heads and Splinter followed his son through the hole, both gasping as air filled their lungs.

Letting out a small groan, Mikey hauled himself up before helping his father through and then falling on his back as the hole closed with a metallic snap.

His chest shuddered as he tried to regain his breath. The smell of iron from the previous fight inside the sub with the Foot made it especially difficult, and even as he felt the sub descending further, a part of him expected another attack to come at any time.

After several minutes, he finally turned over on his stomach and forced himself up on his elbows.

"You...ok Sensei?" Mikey coughed up the remaining water, sucking in a deep breath that both burned and felt wonderful at the same time.

His father nodded and Mikey felt a hard pat on his back as if unsure all the water was truly gone.

"I am fine...my son." Splinter managed to choke out, before regaining his breath and balance.

Mikey nodded, then turned his attention to his father's wounds, but before he could so much as suggest they be attended to, he caught sight of Raphael's motionless figure and nearly gagged. In the light he could see the full extent of what had been done to his brother and he felt a mix of sickness, anger and grief well up inside of him as he moved closer.

"Shell...Raphy." he gasped as he looked over his brother, wishing for any sort of sign his brother knew what was going on. All he received was a blank expression that seemed bordering on oblivion. Instinctively he reached out to touch his brother's face, but was stopped just in time by his father's hand wrapping around his wrist.

"You must not touch him my son. Not directly." Splinter's voice was stoic on the surface, but there was an underlining of pain that carried over even as he asked Leonardo to give his brother the gloves.

Seconds later the hastily made pair was thrown over and caught expertly in Mikey's bruised hand.

"What about you?" Mikey asked on autopilot.

His father simply stood then returned moments later with bandages and other medical supplies, and proceeded to wrap his hands until they were completely covered but still useable. Then he set to work, ignoring any questions about his own wounds as he began to pull the needles from his son's body.

"Keep his head tilted back." the rat directed.

Mikey nodded, placing a hand on his brother's chin and the other on his forehead as he tilted it backwards to keep the airway open. All the while his eyes blurred and burned as he took in every wound, every scar, every bruise his brother had received. This didn't seem like Raph at all to him! Raph...he was so full of life! Even if he was hurt he would have been swearing at the Foot ninja and egging Leo on with his plan's for revenge all the while giving Mikey a wink to let him know he wouldn't do anything stupid. Until he was healed up that is. But now there was nothing. No smirk, no swearing, there was hardly even breath.

Not even when Splinter began to remove a particularly embedded needle did the turtle show any sign of discomfort or acknowledgement. In Mikey's mind that was because his brother was to strong to show signs of pain. He could be in the worst kind possible and Mikey doubted he'd let anyone know.

Stupid hothead!

"How is he?" Leo's voice broke the silence before it settled.

"He is..." Splinter started then cleared his throat. "Your brother will be fine, my son."

There was enough doubt in Splinter's voice that sent both his son's stomachs dropping and hearts pounding as they continued in their respective roles. Neither one completely believing they had escaped Shredder for real or that their brother could die. The first disbelief was from shock, the second was a reality they would not accept until Raphael told them himself with his last breath.

Once the needles were removed, and those small wounds cleaned and bandaged, Mikey watched Splinter turn his attention to the larger ones. Focusing mainly on those that bled on his son's chest and sides. The youngest shook his head, focusing on his brother's face and silently pleading with him to stay with them.

A sudden small gasp sent his head shooting up and his eyes locked onto where his father felt against Raphael's ribs. The look in the soft brown eyes said everything. They were broken. How many Mikey didn't know and he couldn't find the will to ask. All he could do was adjust his grip and hold his brother down as their father folded a small towel, propped it against Raph's side, then began to tightly bind it to the ribcage in order to stabilize the area. The youngest didn't have to hold his brother though. Just as before there was no sign Raph knew what was going on or felt a thing. Splinter could have been doing an amputation and Raph probably wouldn't have known it was happening.

Going back to holding his brother's head, Mikey tried to maintain his composure, but in the end couldn't stop the way his voice shook as he spoke.

"You're gonna be alright, you know that Raph?" he swallowed hard as he handed his father another large roll of bandages. "I mean...ya know there isn't another option right? Cause...well you're you! You wouldn't let Shredder win!"

From the corner of his eye, Mikey saw a small sad smile trace his father's face and received an encouraging nod. Though the more he looked at his brother, the less he knew what to say. With Leo it was easy! Well, not easy, easy. But at least he knew how to talk to his brother so that he'd know how much he was needed. With Raph...he wasn't sure. He could flap his lips all he wanted about how much they needed him and Raph knew at least he needed him, but whether that would be enough...Mikey wasn't sure. Out of the four of them, Raph probably had the hardest spirit to break, but his body was all to fallible. The way Raph lived though Mikey wondered if he understood that he was mortal like the rest of them.

His spirit might be strong, but if his body could no longer house it...then...but Mikey wouldn't believe it! Raph wouldn't just give up! Even if his body was failing he'd still stick with them. Because he was Raph! He was...

"And...I really am sorry about the coffee. I'll get more though, just like I promised. Then..." he searched for words, then suddenly a small light took control of his eyes. "Then you can help me out! Cause I got some niiiiiice plans all laid out and you're gonna love who the victim is. But I need your help, otherwise Leo just won't give me that same worthwhile reaction! You know how annoying that is to spend days concocting a scheme only to get a mediocre reaction?"

A small chuckle rose from their father's throat.

"Do you hear that my son? It seems as if your brothers are conspiring against you." Splinter managed a small grin as he looked over his shoulder at his oldest.

"Oh hah, hah. When has that ever been a surprise?" the eye roll was evident in Leo's tone as was the hope Raph would make it do to such a thing.

"Me and Raph'll make it a surprise! You'll never see it..."

_SHROOM!_

A sudden explosion rocketed against the back of the sub sending everyone forward with a jerk, and Mikey narrowly avoided hitting his brother's chest.

"What the shell?!" he screamed.

"Leonardo what..."

"It was...no. No...it can't..." The panic in Leo's tone was evident, and his voice cracked. "Shredder!" it was all he had time to say before another explosion rocketed against the sub.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Wouldn't it be nice if I was nice? But where's the fun in that? Hoped you liked the chapter. Tried for a bit of fluff among the drama, but yeah. Please let me know what you thought. Hope you all have a great day!

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT.

A/N: So before I say anything else, the first thing I need to say is I'm sorry. I never meant to leave this story at a cliffhanger for this long or leave it unfinished. I can't believe it's been so long since my last update! There are a few reasons for why, but one of the biggest reasons is that I had everything outlined for the rest of the story and all the notes made…and then lost them. When I couldn't find them I felt kinda defeated. Like there was no way I could remember anything and I let that get the best of me, along with nerves that turned into writer's block. However I never intended to leave this story unfinished. It just got away from me as all, and for that apologize. But I also want to thank you guys. Your reviews, encouragement and even a few private messages I got really not only got me wanting to go again on this story, but helped pull me back into the fandom as well. You guys mean a lot to me, and I will finish this story for you, this year.

I'd like to give a big thanks to D.K. Hellcat who helped give me the final big kick into getting this up. This chapter is for you. Only other thing to say is that while I haven't been writing TMNT fanfiction for awhile, I have been writing. So if you notice a jump in skill level, it's because I have several more years of practice under my belt now. But the story is consistent ( I reread it all to make sure I didn't mess anything up) and so finally here's the next chapter. Please let me know what you guys think, but most of all, I hope you enjoy the story for that is why writers write.

X

Leonardo swore under his breath as he gripped the steering wheel tighter and pushed the engines as fast as they would go. This couldn't be happening. After everything they had been through already, how could something else be happening to them?

He shook his head. It wasn't a question of how, or even why at this point. He knew both answers, and they both came back to the fact that they were dealing with a monster. Now the only question was how were they going to deal with it.

"Everyone hold on!" Leo yelled, fighting the impulse to look back and make sure that someone had a grip on Raph. The last thing his brother needed was being thrown around. With all the wounds Raph received there was no doubt in his mind that there was internal bleeding. Any extra motion would just make it worse.

Still he didn't have much choice, but to do some heavy maneuvering as explosions kept happening only split seconds behind them as they dove deeper.

"How the shell is he hitting us?" Mikey yelped as another explosion rocketed against the side, the echo within the metal sub sending a painful vibration through all their skulls. "You don't think, Shredder, has a sub too do you?"

If there was a god or some benevolent deity out there, then the answer would be no. Knowing the Shredder like they did though, Leo knew it was better to be prepared for anything.

"I doubt it. The attack started to soon after we got back. Even Shredder can't mobilize that fast after a surprise attack." his tone was firm, but part of him wondered if that was true. He shook his head, swearing more than he ever thought he would in a lifetime, let alone in a day, as he flicked up several switches and punched in different codes for the screens.

Their position from various angles lit up, along with Shredder's boat behind them. Leo let out a breath. So Shredder didn't have a sub. According to the readings it looked like he was still above them and except for the weapons, nothing else mechanical was being picked up underwater. However the fact that the weapons were finding them at all continued to present a problem. They needed to get to the island for Donny, and get Raph somewhere stable. As long as Shredder could follow them though, that wasn't going to happen. If they led him to their friends there, hope would die for all of them.

"I'm gonna try to lose them again! See how far the torpedo's can actually go." there was barely a second between the last word and Leo jerking the sub to a sharp right and going straight down. From the corner of his eye he could see a weapon following them, but instead focused ahead. There were large rock formations coming up. If he could get into the stone maze, the explosions would have more obstacles to overcome and he could double back. As good as the plan sounded in his head, executing it was another thing.

"Careful, Leonardo!" Splinter hissed as the sub jolted and twisted around, moving slower, then faster in an instant and nearly twisting upside down at one point as he sped through another archway. Seconds later stone struck the back of their ship as it collapsed.

"Can't they take a hint? We don't want to play anymore!" Mikey half growled, half yelped as the sub jerked again.

"The problem is we can only run." Leo jerked to the left barely avoiding a collision with a pillar of rocks. Several screens beeped warnings at him that he was pushing the engine to hard. He could almost hear it grinding as they went. "We can't send them a message back!"

There was a moment of silence, before Mikey broke it.

"What if we could?"

Leo couldn't help but throw his brother a quick look to prompt him on. It didn't matter how crazy the idea was, they needed something.

"I remember awhile ago, Donny, working on something. Another feature for the sub that would help in case of something like this. Well, not this, this, but something where we were being chased. Not that…"

"Mike! What did he build?" Leo didn't mean for his tone to be as sharp as it was, but he needed his brother to focus.

"He said it was only a prototype and not to use it if we didn't have too, but I remember he had a kind of…back up weapons system. It's only a got a one time use right now, but it's better than being sitting turtles!" Mikey said, holding onto Raph's arm as the sub jolted again and the entire machine seemed to groan. Raphael however didn't even hiss in pain at the movements.

Leo nodded curtly.

"Then we'll make sure to get it right the first time. Call up, April, and see if she can help us send them a message." he grit his teeth, his eyes little more than slits as he looked ahead, trying to ignore the reflection of his family in the monitors. Splinter was doing the best he could to keep Raph's airway open as well as hold him still now that the wounds were bandaged and Mikey was trying to contact April with one hand, while the other stayed firmly on Raph's shoulder. The injuries on his hot headed brother seemed to be glaring back at him, and he could almost hear Raph's struggle not to scream as they were inflicted.

He ripped his eyes away as shudder ran up his spine and he tried not to think about it. At the same time though, it was almost impossible to do anything else. He could still feel Raphael's lack of weight in his arms, and the way his head flopped against his shoulder. The complete absence of motion, the breathing that was barely there, and even now some of his brother's blood was streaked across the makeshift clothes.

He thought that after what Shredder had done to Splinter that he had already reached the peak of hatred he could have for one person. Looking at Raph though, he knew that wasn't true. He had reached a new level of hatred that even to him felt twisted, cold, and touched with evil. A hatred that whispered in the back of his mind hopes of everyone on that ship drowning after their attack. Except for Shredder, that was. Leo wanted to be the one to deliver the final killing blow, and feel the flesh of that Utrom tear from his sword.

Shaking his head so hard it hurt, Leo forced himself to listen as Mikey explained the situation to April and promised himself that as soon as Raph woke up, he was kicking his shell from one end of the dojo to the other.

X

Street noises whirred all around Casey and his heart pounded so hard in his chest he thought it would explode as he half raced, half stumbled down the dark streets. To anyone else it looked like he was a slightly drunk man in a hurry, and the crowd seemed to move around him, few daring to even put a foot in his path.

Good for them. At this point, Casey didn't think he'd take well to a priest interrupting him. Then again maybe that was just the kind of person he needed right now.

Shaking his head, the vigilante ignored the pounding headache and the tiny voice of common sense that screamed at him for being so stupid. With these kinds of injuries, he knew he should still be in the hospital. Actually, he should probably be about six feet under and cringing as his grandma lectured him in the afterlife about what an idiot he'd been.

Unlike when he was a kid though, he didn't need it pointed out to him. He knew how stupid he was, more for what he'd allowed to happen then simply leaving the hospital.

_'The Shredder has them, Casey. Raph and Donny..."_ memory's of April's words sent a chill up his spine. It had only been the pain in his ribs that made it impossible to move that he hadn't jumped out of the hospital bed then and there when he found out. Not that he hadn't tried all the same before April pushed him back.

Raph and Donny.

Their names felt like weights that had taken up residence in his chest and at the same time pushed him forward.

Casey stumbled, knowing he must look like easy pickings to any wannabe thug as he used the sides of buildings for support. The cool air whipping past him as the remains of the storm began to settle and he pushed back wet hair from his face. Maybe it had been a bad idea to run out of the hospital without so much as an umbrella.

_'Another testament to yer genius.'_ he scolded himself, shaking his head.

Normally he'd have called April and asked for a ride, but he had a gut feeling that she was neck deep in the search for their friends. There hadn't been much of a chance for her to tell him how far they'd gotten and not being family, her access to him at the hospital was limited. However far she was though, he wouldn't interrupt her for the world, and he'd take it on to help. Even if it meant fighting Shredder one on one, Casey was ready for it.

The one thing he wasn't sure he was ready for though was facing Master Splinter and Raph when he saw them again.

It had started only recently, but Casey noticed a change in the way Splinter looked at him. Like he was constantly sizing him up. Watching for him to make a mistake and more than once a biting comment had been at the ready. Usually something to do with 'growing up' and 'setting an example'.

_"With the way my sons look up to you, Mr. Jones, I would appreciate it if you would, as they say, think more before you act so foolishly."_ Splinter had snapped at him after a particularly bad fight with the dragons.

Part of Casey wondered if part of why Splinter seemed so uneasy with him now had to do with the fact that in a way, he had taken over Splinter's role as Raph's confident. Whenever the teenager had a problem now, it was always him he turned to. Not his father. At least that's how it seemed to Casey. If he had a son and someone else just stepped in to take over part of his role as dad, Casey knew he'd be just as mad. Possibly more so considering Splinter actually knew what restraint was.

It wasn't his fault though. What was he supposed to do? Tell Raph he couldn't listen or hang out because he needed to talk to his dad instead? Raph might be a ninja, but he was still a teenager. Hardly any even liked their parents at this age, let alone confided in them.

The thing that was his fault though, the reason his nights had echoed Raph's with sleeplessness, was what he had allowed that night.

If he had just listened to the part of his brain that was trying to get him to stop, their friends wouldn't be in this situation. If he had just told Raph they would take on the dragons another time, and been the adult, then who knew what, wouldn't be happening to them. His stomach churned as horrific images raced through his mind. How was he going to look Raph in the eye again when he played a part in why he and his brother were kidnapped?

"Hey careful, man! If ya can't even walk straight ya shoulda called a cab!" a man barked at Casey as he stumbled past him, jarring the man's shoulder.

Under any other circumstances, Casey would have whipped around and offered to send the man on a ride in an ambulance. At the moment though, all he could do was mutter a curse and flip him a particularly rude hand gesture as he struggled to catch his breath; resting against the side of a building. The cool stone felt good against his forehead as he paused for a moment, the rain now little more than a faint spray as it washed over his face.

_'Almost there. C'mon, Casey. Yer almost there.'_ he told himself, his eyes focusing on the garage only a few hundred feet away. It might as well have been ten miles for how he was feeling.

Taking a deep breath, Casey pushed himself off the building and struggled forward. April had told him that's where she'd be working from when he'd come to. He just hoped he didn't scare her and she threw something at him. One good hit and he'd be down.

Fifteen minutes later, gasping for breath and shaking with every step, Casey finally made it to the garage and into the elevator. The warmth instantly hit him and he allowed himself to sink to his knees as he waited for the doors to open to the lair and an update on his friends.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Hope you guys liked it. Please let me know what you thought.

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT.

A/N: You guys are awesome. I really don't know how to say it except for that. Thank you all so much for your support and welcoming the story back like you have. I can't tell you how much it means to me, because when I first started updating again, I honestly didn't except a lot of people to read it again, let alone leave such wonderful, encouraging reviews. You guys really made me smile and made my day and I'm so happy you're enjoying the story as much as you are. So thank you so much just for everything you've done. My goal with this story is to get a chapter up once a week till completion. There might be some weeks I'm not able to because of work and other projects, but those times shouldn't be very often. Especially since I know what I'm writing for the next chapters, and this story should be concluded by at the very latest the end of November. With all that said, now it's time for the story. Please let me know what you think, but most of all I hope you enjoy it. For that is why writer's write.

X

"Are you sure?" Leo couldn't help, but ask as Mikey called over some more of April's instructions.

Mikey nodded.

"Just do what she say's, Leo! April, hasn't steered us wrong yet butitlookslikeyoumight!" he yelped as he caught sight of several chunks of rocks coming straight towards them from the latest explosion. Part of him knew Leo would see them in time, but another part wasn't comfortable with anyone but Donny driving this thing. If Donny was here they'd already be half way to getting him by now instead of playing tag.

Mikey inwardly winced at the way his roundabout logic finally got to him, though at the same time he wished he'd said it out loud. Maybe if Raph heard him, he'd be forced to wake up simply to smack him upside the head and laugh about how it sounded.

The youngest turtle swallowed hard gripping his brother's hand like a life support as he continued talking with April. So far she'd given them enough information that they'd been able to access and link up the backup weapons system. Just like he thought there was only one shot, and it wasn't nearly as powerful as the kind Shredder had. According to April, it didn't have to be. As long as they hit where it counted.

"Tell Leo, to move it up a few degrees. Then as soon as you get into position turn back around and…"

"Turn around?" Mikey's jaw dropped and Leo shot him a worried look. "April, I know you haven't been sleeping much, but you don't understand…"

"Listen to me. Turn around. I know it sounds crazy, but in order to have the range for it to work, you have to be closer. You're going for their engines, and a direct hit is the only way to make sure they can't follow you. Once you do that, they might be able to fire a few more times, but you'll be able to avoid them."

Even if it was childish, Mikey couldn't help taking comfort in the fact that April seemed so sure they'd avoid the attacks. He just hoped she couldn't hear their own ship groaning or ask…

"How's, Raph, doing?"

Mikey bit his lip. When he had first called he hadn't said anything about Raphael except that they found him. Then it was just what they needed to know and that they needed it fast. Now that Leo had the information there was time for April to worry.

"He's…he's hanging in there. A little bruised up, but you know how our hothead is. If he doesn't come home needing a band-aid, he doesn't think it was a good night." Mikey forced a chuckle that broke somewhere in the middle before he cleared the building lump in his throat with a cough. "You and Case, can…can see him when we get back. I'd like to say we'd all be out doing our sacred duty in a week, but I'm pretty sure, Raphy boy, here is grounded till he's your age."

"My age would be more appropriate." Splinter muttered to the side.

A slight pained grin twitched across Mikey's face as he told April what Splinter said and forced another laugh that almost sounded like a sob. While he was talking he found he had to look anywhere, but at his brother. If he wasn't looking at him and being forced to acknowledge what he'd endured, Mikey could try too paint a brighter side for April. Though the obvious marks of experimentation were perhaps the hardest to ignore.

Hopefully she wouldn't pick up on the way his voice shook or the fact that Raph couldn't be heard in the background ranting about being fine and muttering when Splinter's lecture started. Then again it was April. Mikey knew he should give her more credit by now. After half a minute of silence, their friend's voice could be heard shaking more than his had.

"Mikey, please…just…just tell me how he is. For real."

Besides the explosions outside and Leo's grunts and curses up front, there was silence as Mikey tightened his grip on Raph's hand, and tried to think of what to say that wouldn't shatter his hope as well.

"Shredder…did a real number on him that's for sure. He's breathing, but he's out cold and…there's a lot of…they…" Mikey pinched his eyes shut, mentally swearing in a way that would have left Raph himself shocked and impressed. He had to pull it together. As much as he wanted to break down and go back to take on Shredder himself, he had to stay calm. Right now, for Raph, he had to be the strong one.

A paw on his shoulder made him realize he'd started to shake, and Mikey took in a deep shuddering breath, before pressing at the burning in his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"They hurt him bad, April. There's no way around it, but the fact he's still here is a good sign. Raph'll, be okay, he just needs time." his voice was soft, but there was a distinct firmness underneath. Right now there wasn't time for jokes. There wasn't time for quips or even attempts at humor to ease the pain. Right now, as frightened as he was, he needed to pull on his training and force himself to reign back his emotions. There would be time for jokes and tears later.

Before anything more could be said, two voices broke in. One was Leo's relating the current situation to Mikey again for information, and the other came from April's end after a yelp that nearly sent Mikey into a panic attack. A split second later though, the Brooklyn tinged voice gasping for air and yelling at the same time calmed any sudden worry that the foot had found their home.

"Sounds like Casey, just got there." Mikey said.

"Good for him. Now some more help…would be good!" Leo growled through grit teeth, and from the corner of his eye, Mikey could see Splinter's face momentarily twitch into a frown at the man's name. He ignored the questions and emotions it brought up, instead trying to snap April's attention back to the situation.

According to Leo they had two torpedoes on their tail and while he was doing his best to lose them, turning at this speed the way they needed to was going to be a nasty business.

"How far are you from the island?" April asked.

"I think we're about...a day and a half away, maybe two?" Mikey answered as best he could. "What does that matter?"

"If you can, redirect some of the power from the life support systems to the engine. That should give you enough stability to turn without losing speed." April's fingers could be heard clicking furiously on the other end, and Mikey nearly yelled her instructions on how to do it as one of the two torpedoes exploded to their right.

There was one more immediate attack to dodge before they could turn.

"We're diving!" Leo yelled, and the sub jerked at a nearly ninety degree angle as Mikey grabbed onto one of the restraints, and helped his father keep Raph from sliding down, his grip nearly crushing the shell cell in his hand. Though he almost dropped it when something slid past, catching his leg with the gunshot wound.

Fortunately seconds later, after another explosion that nearly sent them all pitching forward, Leo leveled out.

"Alright, here we go! We're turning around now. Everyone hold on tight!" the oldest turtle barked and Mikey grit his teeth as they spun and shot straight towards their enemy.

_'C'mon, Leo, don't you dare miss this! We can't afford to miss!'_ everything inside Mikey seemed to freeze up as he held tight to his brother and the restraint as they swerved. He could see the dark metal hull coming up from the front window. Under any other circumstance he might have doubted what he was seeing considering the churning waves and shadows, but not now. Even if he were blind, Mikey knew he could have pinpointed it. Evil had a way of always making itself known.

"Closer. Closer!" Leo could be heard up front, his teeth grinding together like the engine, and Mikey swore he could hear his brother's heart pounding. Or maybe that was just his.

There would be another attack soon. Mikey knew they only had seconds before they were fired at and hit dead on. If that happened, it was over for all of them. Fortunately for them the only thing more focused than Leonardo, was a hacked off Leonardo. And judging from what little he could see of his brother's face, Mikey knew Leo was out for blood.

"NOW!" Leo's cry sent a jolt up Mikey's spine, and he watched as two more weapons from the Shredder's ship were being readied to launch, when their own torpedo shot forward as little more than a green blur towards the engines.

A split second later, just as Leo whipped back around and started descending, an ear splitting explosion happened above pitching the sub forward like a toy. Mikey couldn't help a stunned scream and even Leo let out a cry as he fought for control as they tumbled down and around, trying to avoid the final attacks that came their way. Even April could be heard on the phone trying to find out what was happening.

Only Splinter remained calm nearly doubled over holding Raphael steady as chaos reigned. He was murmuring something Mikey couldn't quite hear to the older turtle, but from what he could get it sounded like Japanese. Soft, rhythmic, almost perhaps tinged in desperation.

Maybe it was a prayer of some sort. After narrowly avoiding one of the last attacks, they needed all the help they could get. Mikey grit his teeth, trying to swallow back any fear as he listened to Leo mutter and curse and felt as if he could hear the weapon drawing closer. Looking behind him, he could just make out it's shape before Leo suddenly jerked the ship to it's side and up, letting the torpedo slam hard into a rock structure, before twisting the wheel and jamming it down sending them further into the ocean. Thirty seconds that felt like thirty years later, he evened out.

Several moments of silence passed after that, the sub drifting along and the engine now easing back to a manageable speed. Then Leo let out a soft gasp.

"We…we did it…Haha! We really did it!" he slapped the steering wheel out of pure exhaustion and relief, with a large grin on his face no one could miss and Mikey felt one of his own begin to form. For the first time in a long time, it felt genuine too, though he could do little more than take shaky breaths and nod in agreement.

"You really...are the turtle, Leo." Mikey breathed. "Though, Donny may just have your shell for any damage you caused."

Leo shook his head, wiping sweat from his forehead, but Mikey noticed the way his hand briefly lingered over his eyes as he turned away. Out of Shredder's reach for the moment, everything began to set in as adrenaline subsided. They'd all made it, but what about now? What about Raph?

All of this and not even a sound or flicker of movement from their brother begged the question: Would he make it to?

"Mikey? What's going on? Did you guys make it? Are you okay?" April's frantic voice reminded Mikey she was still on the line, and he did his best to answer her questions, before finally closing the shell cell with a shaky hand. Then he swallowed, and took in several more deep breaths, before looking at his brother.

_'We made it, Raphie. We're gonna go get, Don, now and get home…so just hang on. And don't even think about doing something stupid like leaving us after all this or I'll personally kick your shell!'_ he thought, willing himself to say it out loud, but at the moment his voice seemed stuck in his throat. Raph would be alright though. He had to be.

That was the continual thought he held onto as they began making their way towards the island, trying to drown out all the other questions and doubts that pounded in his head.

To Be Continued…

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought.

Have a great day

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own the ninja turtles.

A/N: Hey guys, once again thank you so much for all your kind reviews. They really made me smile and I'm so happy you guys are enjoying the story like you are. It really keeps me going, especially on chapters like this one. For some reason I had the hardest time with this chapter and wound up mentally smacking my head against the keyboard and rewriting it several times. Not to mention the various different starts and trying to figure out what would work best. In the end, I think maybe I was over thinking it, and once again letting my nerves get the better of me and realized I just needed to write. So that's what I did, because there was no way I was leaving you guys on edge for another long stretch of time. So please let me know what you guys think, but most of all, I really hope you enjoy the chapter. For that is why writer's write.

X

He felt like killing his brother.

Donatello slammed his hand against the turtle sub, a slew of curses shooting through his head as pain exploded from his palm up his arm and he bit his lip to keep from screaming. At the same time though maybe screaming would feel good. Maybe it would help him calm down and…

_'Just breath.'_ he told himself. _'You won't help anyone by acting like that idiot.'_

Don did his best to swallow back a wave of emotion and stop himself from doing any more damage to the sub. That was one of the last things they needed.

Taking a deep breath, he rested his head against the cool metal allowing it to ease the pain of several of his wounds. He wasn't sure what was worse. The wounds he'd received at the hands of the Foot, or the scars that weren't there.

Something hot and angry pricked the corners of his eyes as he remembered the way Raph pushed him over the side into the lifeboat. The calm expression on his face as he explained if he stayed, Shredder would leave his brother alone. The fact that he had never intended on leaving felt worse to Don than any of what the Foot had done to him. He had never seen Raph so resigned to something before. Especially not to a fate like that and the fact that Raph hadn't let him have a choice caused another twist in his gut. Didn't his brother know he would have stayed there with him? That if he knew what Raph was thinking he would have knocked him upside the head? If he had known there was no way he would have agreed to their escape plan.

That was probably why his brother hadn't told him. Everyone said when he wanted to be he could be just as stubborn as Raph, if not more so. He'd never have allowed his brother to stay alone…

_'And where would you be now if he hadn't done that? If you had stayed with him you'd both be dead.' _the logical part of his brain knew that, but he didn't care. More than anything right now he wanted to march over to Raphael, shake his brother awake and slam his fist so hard into his face that common sense had to follow.

Instead he tightened his grip on the rusty wrench in his hand till he could almost feel it biting into his skin through the bandages.

That idiot. That stupid, stupid, idiot.

"Don?" a voice from behind nearly made him jump as he whipped around to see Leo standing behind him. The concerned expression on his brother's face causing him to look away. "You know you shouldn't be out here right now. You need to be resting." Leo reached out a hand for his brother's shoulder, but Don brushed it off turning back to his work.

"I'm fine, Leo. Besides if I don't fix this thing who will? We need to get home as soon as we can." true he wasn't in the best condition himself. Shock, trauma, wounds, and ingesting sea water had left him more than a little shaky and exhausted, but right now there was nothing else he could do, except push through the pain and hide any coughing fits.

It had been nearly five days now since his family had arrived at the island to pick him up, but before they headed out again he noticed severe problems with the sub. There was no way it could survive even the short journey home in the condition it was in. More than likely they'd get out into the middle of the ocean, and either something would give out and they'd be left floating, or water would start to come in. Until he fixed it they were essentially stuck on the island, though the Professor had done everything he could to help with what they needed. Even salvaging some parts for the sub and finding an out of the way place for them to stay.

April and Casey had offered to come get them, but at the moment it was too dangerous. Shredder knew who their allies were. If he heard of them coming to the island from his sources, it could undo all the precautions they'd taken. At the moment however, Don wasn't sure if it might be worth the risk to get their brother home.

Their stupid, foolish brother. Speaking of brothers, why couldn't this one just leave him alone right now? If he did decide to scream, he didn't want anyone with him.

Don felt Leo's hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it as if he could read his mind, but wasn't planning on going anywhere all the same. He could feel the words forming in his throat that would demand Leo leave him alone, but they seemed trapped by the fact that a part of him was grateful for Leo's presence. The large part though, hated it and wanted to push the words out. He didn't want anyone to see him, least of all his eldest brother, if he broke down as memories constantly resurfaced and he didn't want comfort. He didn't want to be treated like the 'helpless' little brother he had been when it counted most and been feeling like the fast few days. All he wanted was Raph to wake up and explain why he did what he did. To explain why he ran out at all that night when they were so worried. Why he couldn't have talked to them when this all started and why he couldn't just be selfish for once and take a chance at freedom.

"Don, you're shaking."

"It's cold out here." it wasn't a lie either, but the night air had nothing to do with the shudders running through his body and Leo knew it to. He rubbed hard at his eyes with his forearm, pretending to just be brushing away sweat.

"Then come inside. You can work on it more tomorrow, but you need to rest to. You didn't exactly get out of there without a scratch and…"

"Please…stop telling me what I need." Donatello's voice was low and dangerous even as it shook. "You don't know…you don't…" of all the times for his voice to start cracking. If he needed any further proof how exhausted he was, this was it. Over the years during these kinds of situations he had learned how to pull back his emotions and stop the terror from controlling him. Right now though it felt like if he continued to talk the next few words would be sobbed out, rather than spoken.

Suddenly he felt strong arms turning him around before Leo pulled him into a hug. Donatello didn't return the embrace, but he didn't pull away either. Not that his brother would have let him.

"You're right, Donny. I only know what you told us happened, but I don't know everything that was said. I don't know all the details or even what you went through yourself." his grip tightened protectively and Don blinked rapidly. It was just sweat. That's all it was. "But I think I have an idea how you're feeling. It's the same way any of us would probably feel if we were forced to leave someone behind."

Don bit his lip so hard to keep from shuddering as he nodded, he could taste blood. He still couldn't bring himself to return the hug, even as he finally found the will to speak.

"It…w-wasn't his place…to do that. It wasn't h-h-his choice…to make! I would have stayed…" more burning in his eyes he couldn't blink away fast enough.

"We know that, Don. We know this isn't what you wanted and Raph knows that to. That's why he did what he did. He knew you wouldn't have left him there willingly."

More was said, but Donatello shook his head, pinching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth; blocking out the words as he tried to keep his knees from buckling. He hated this. Being this emotional wasn't what his brother needed, and he didn't want to hear anyone defending what Raph did either. Raph always did these kinds of things. He always acted like he could take on the world by himself, and god forbid if someone tried to help him.

"Maybe it would help you to talk to him a bit." those were Leo's words that finally got through and hit Don like a blow. "You haven't really seen him much since we got here and it might be good for both of you."

That was when Don started to pull away, though he could feel his brother's reluctance to let him go.

"I can't right now. I have to finish the sub so we can get home and…" his words slammed together after that as he tried to explain without letting Leo know what was really going through his head. It was childish and stupid he knew, but one of the ways he was getting through everything was from a self-promise. If he fixed the sub fast enough and got them home, then Raph wouldn't die. Again his logical side told him that was nothing more than an attempt he was making to gain some control over the situation, but he couldn't help it. He needed a goal to move towards or he'd break down and be completely useless. He'd already failed Raph once. He couldn't do it again.

After a few more minutes of babbling, Leo finally held up his hand with a sigh.

"Just for a half an hour then? Come and see him just for a half an hour. It'd be good for you to get somewhere warm for a bit as well, and give Master Splinter one less thing to worry about."

Don shot his brother a dirty look. Telling him their father was worrying about him was pulling out the trump card. Still, could he really go even for just a half an hour? What if he got there and found he couldn't leave? After they had settled Raph into their temporary quarters, leaving his brother's side for a second time had nearly been impossible.

"Don, please?" Leo pressed once more and even as Donatello shook his head, the words came out he couldn't take back.

"Alright. Just a half an hour…then I have to finish this." he said and Leo gave him a soft smile, helping him release his grip on the wrench and covering the sub with a faded tarp. Then he took his brother's arm before Don could protest began guiding him up the grassy beach towards the tent they were staying in. At first Don wanted to pull away, but he was soon grateful for his brother's steadying presence. Even if it was just a short distance, the further they went the more rough the terrain became and more than once his ankle had started to roll and he'd had to grab onto Leo to keep from going down. A few times they had to pause so Donny could catch his breath again as coughing fits wracked his body. Every time they stopped it took at least thirty seconds before he was able to take another shaky step forward.

Not that Don minded.

With each step he took his heart pounded harder. Less from the physical exertion and more from what waited for him in the tent. It wasn't that large, barely the size of one of their rooms back home and the thin fabric walls were little protection against the cold. But it was away from curious eyes and near a small outcropping of rocks that hid them from view from the shoreline. All of them were constantly paranoid about Shredder somehow having found them here. Fortunately there were always several people watching for ships, or the return of the monster that originally created this island and the Professor brought them daily reports. Donatello needed to think of a way to thank their friend when he could, though the man always waved it off.

_"You are my friends, and in a way have become my family. In fact you all remind me of my own son in certain ways."_ the Professor had smiled sadly at them, but at the same time the light never completely left his eyes_. "And you have saved my life and that of my friends here several times over. The least we can do is give you aid now."_

Whether he truly understood who he was making an enemy with by being their ally, Don wasn't sure. More than likely the Professor wouldn't care. He wasn't one to let anyone reign over him, or bend out of fear. Out of all the people originally kidnapped by the Garbageman, only he had stood up and spoken out directly.

Don could only pray he never came to know the Shredder.

"We're almost there, Don. You okay?"

The turtle nodded, his breathing hard and a pain in his side sending lighting bolts to his vision as they approached the tent. Just inside he could hear Michelangelo talking to Raph, going on about some idea he had for a prank to pull on Leonardo once they got back. Don shot his brother a look and saw Leo's right eye twitch as he sighed.

"I guess it'll be a small price to pay after all of this." he muttered, but Don could also see a slightly pained smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. Then it descended into a frown as they heard Mikey ask for Raph's opinion and no response.

Taking a shaky breath, and swallowing hard, Donatello pulled away from his brother, reached forward, and opened the tent flap ducking inside. As soon as he did the change in atmosphere and temperature instantly hit him. There were several candles burning, causing a soft glow to fall on everything and though the walls were thin they helped with warmth all the same.

As Mikey continued to talk wrapped up in a blanket, their father sat quietly on Raph's other side, sometimes nodding and rubbing a bandaged hand over Raph's face before resettling a washrag on his forehead. His older brother was laying almost completely still, occasionally emitting a soft groan or sharp cough, but besides that his breathing was shallow and pained. Don felt something twist as he saw the wounds illuminated on Raphael's face. Gouge marks. Bruises. Even needle marks. The worst however, were hidden by the thick blankets pulled up to his chin and for that Donny was grateful.

From behind, he felt Leo gently prodding him further inside and Mikey looked up from his one sided conversation with a slight smile. Splinter followed his gaze and motioned for Donatello to take a seat next to him.

"How are you feeling, my son?" Splinter asked, feeling Don's forehead with the back of his hand like when they were children. Don fought the urge to flinch away.

"I'm fine. I just came in to see how Raph, was doing." he said trying to avoid all eye contact, but mostly trying to ignore any remaining heat in his eyes and thickness in his throat. At least outside there had been the cover of shadows. "The subs almost done now. Maybe another day and a half and we should be good."

"Well talk about perfect timing!" Mikey grinned. "I was just telling Raph, about my genius idea for a prank to end all pranks as soon as we get back and we're gonna need your help too."

"This wouldn't happen to be the prank that involves me as the target would it?" Leo asked, draping a rough, but thick blanket over Don's shoulders before kneeling next to Mikey. It wasn't until then that Don realized just how cold he had been and tried to stop another shiver from going up his spine as well as pay attention to what was going on around him. The second proved more difficult. He could tell Mikey was doing his best to needle Leo, Leo seemed to becoming more and more concerned about this prank, and Splinter would either say nothing or mutter something to himself with a tired smile. The actual words were lost to him though. There were too many in his own head for him to focus on what anyone else was saying. To many things he wanted to ask, plead for and scream. As angry as he had been at Raph outside, it seemed to be doubled when he was once again face to face with what his brother had gone through, along with competing emotions like terror and grief.

_'You're a real idiot you know that, Raph?'_ he wanted to shake his brother awake, but his hands only trembled. He had never seen his brother like this before. Raph was constant motion and even in his sleep had always been animated. When they were younger and had shared a room, he remembered complaining once about his brother snoring to loud and kicking him in his sleep. Now his brother just seemed so weak. No. Weak wasn't the right word. Frail was better.

How could he still be unconscious? Even Leo hadn't been this bad, or at the very least, he hadn't been out this long. The second time he fell asleep he stayed that way for another two days, but at least he woke up. Raph had yet to even blink his eyes open. Surprisingly there hadn't been any sign of a concussion, though there were several large bruises on his head. Was it possible he was in a coma from internal damage? There wasn't much Donatello knew specifically about coma's, just that if someone slipped into one there was always the chance they would never return the same or at all.

If that happened…

He clenched his fist so hard beneath the blanket he could feel his nails biting into his palm despite the bandages. Something warm and sticky soon began anew in tiny rivers on his palm. No matter how bad he wanted to scream, he had to keep it together. He had to at least try to handle it. But there were to many words in his head and to many possibilities. As much as his voice felt trapped, if he didn't say anything he would lose it, but…

"Don? Hey Donny, you okay?" Mikey's voice finally broke through and Don and jerked up as if coming out of a dream, feeling his father's hand on his arm. Focusing on the sharp stinging in his hand, he tried to swim through his thoughts back to complete reality.

"M'fine. Just a little out of it I guess…" blinking several times to refocus his sight, Donatello realized his unclenched hand was resting over where Raph's hand was under the blanket. Soon Splinter's hand covered his as well.

"You need to rest, my son."

"I don't…"

"Recklessly neglecting your own wounds will not help your brother, Donatello." Splinter reprimanded softly and Don tightened his fist harder releasing more blood. He had to focus on something. Anything but what was being said and the cries inside that were building. "Your brother would not want you to hurt yourself any further."

"Master Splinter's, right, Donny." Mikey said. "If Raph were awake now he'd tell you…"

"At this point I don't care what he'd tell me to do." those weren't the words Donatello had meant to come out, but they were true all the same. Right now if Raph was awake and told him to rest, there's a good chance he'd knock his brother back out.

Everyone stared at him in stunned silence for a moment before a soft groan broke through from Raph as his brow furrowed and his head shifted slightly from side to side.

"Looks like Raphy, has an opinion on that." the youngest tried to smile, but Don sent him a withering look even as his hand tightened over Raph's.

"It is not just Raphael, that wants you to rest my son. We…nearly lost you both." Splinter said, his voice firm but with a shaken undertone. "If you continue to push like this, you could reopen up your wounds. You've already nearly collapsed…"

"I can handle it!" more words, added volume and more silent stares. Heat instantly shot to Don's cheeks and he looked away from his father, muttering 'sorry' under his breath. He never yelled. Least of all at Master Splinter, but he couldn't help it. There was too much he wanted to say and no way to get the words out. At least when he'd been talking to Leo last year, he had an idea of what to say that wouldn't push him further away. He didn't know how to do that with Raph. Not no when all he wanted to do was shake him, punch him and hug him all at the same time while telling him how stupid he was.

For a split second he felt Raphael's hand twitch beneath the blanket as if intending to squeeze his own back and something inside Don's chest clenched.

Don shook it off as his brother's face smoothed back out. It was probably only a reflex. He had to get control of himself. He had to get out of here and finish the sub. His family might want him to rest, but what they needed was for him to get them all home. Even if he said a half an hour, this was too much. Already more heat was touching his eyes and he could feel something wet sliding down from the corners as his shoulders shook.

"Don…" Leo started, but he was already pushing himself to stand, the blanket falling from his shoulders in a heap as he turned to leave.

"If I work through the night the sub should be ready by tomorrow. We can…" his words started to get pushed together again and come out too fast as he turned his back to his family. Then Splinter cut him off with a sad sigh and a raised hand he could just see from the corner of his eye even as he tried to walk away.

"Donatello, you are angry with your brother, and hurt because he would not allow you to help him fight his battle with the Shredder. You feel you abandoned him." Splinter said, causing Donatello to freeze mid step. "But he is still fighting that battle now. And there are more he engaged in even before he left that night that he is struggling to find his way back from." there was a distinctly grieved sound in their father's voice now that hit Don with a pang of guilt. Raph hadn't just pushed him away. He'd pushed them all away, especially Splinter. "Right now he needs you by his side. He needs to know the brother he tried so hard to save is here and that when he returns, he will still have three brothers in more than just the physical sense."

Don grit his teeth, trying to keep his breathing even and failing miserably. His hand was throbbing, but not enough to stop him or the sudden sob that finally broke through. He knew what Splinter was telling him. That right now in his state, Raph could easily mistake anger for hatred. He could take Don's lack of presence to mean that he failed or worse. That Don no longer cared about the sacrifice. That wasn't true though. He just hated the fact that his brother had to do that and deceived him. He hated not being there for him, and feeling so useless…

"Don…just talk to him. Just say something." Leo pleaded as he started to stand.

Before he could make it all the way to his feet, Donatello whipped around glaring at Raphael's form.

"You're a real jerk you know that?" his anger, fear and grief finally exploded as tears coursed freely down his cheeks and red dripped from his one hand. "I swear, Raph, do you ever even think before you do things like this? Do you ever even consider, just once, just one time, not jumping into something headfirst? You could have been killed! Not just by Shredder, but those Purple Dragons! Hun nearly killed you and…and…" Don sank back down to his knees, aware of three pairs of eyes watching him, but unable to care anymore. No one else had seen what he did. No one else saw Raph come back day after day from the torture sessions only for him to be worried about them. No one else was used against their brother in order to keep him compliant. "Why can't you ever let someone help you? Why do you always have to go off like some kind of 'lone wolf'? Doesn't family mean anything to you? Don't we matter? Or do you care so little about yourself, you think you don't?"

His voice was breaking as harsh sobs ripped from his throat that grew worse as Raph's brow furrowed deeper and his head shifted a bit again, revealing more bruises. Don could still see all the wounds in his mind from when they were fresh. He could still picture his brother's terrified face when he finally told him about the dreams that caused the attack, followed by an all to accepting expression when he explained he was dying. Why was it Raph could take his death so lightly, but if anyone else got hurt it was unacceptable? Didn't he realize how much he mattered to them? That if he died it would break them in ways no one could fix?

"I wouldn't have left…if I had known. I wouldn't have done any of that…I would have stayed. I would have fought with you." everything was shaking now and his nails dug into the soft earth. "But you didn't give me that choice. You had no right…to make that decision for me. You…didn't…I wouldn't have…left you alone, Raph. I wouldn't have left you." more shuddering sobs that shook him to his core and even if he felt like a fool, there was no way to stop the tears now. He was too exhausted and angry. Too worried and too hopeful. If Raph didn't make it out of this alive, he didn't know what anyone of them would do. He just didn't know anything anymore.

"Your brother knows that, Donatello. He knows you would have fought that battle with him then, and he knows you are fighting this one with him now. It's alright." Splinter wiped several tears away from Don's face, wrapping him a one armed embrace as the turtle nodded. They still had to get home, and he knew he was the only one that could make it happen.

At the moment though, his brother needed him at his side more; even if Raph would never admit it.

Swallowing hard, Don found the outline of Raph's hand again and tightened his grip. Even with the covers between them, this time he swore he felt his grasp returned.

To Be Continued…

A/N: I really hope you guys liked it. Please let me know what you thought. I also have a poll up now on my profile about what story I should work on after finishing this one, if you want to check it out.

Hope you all have a great day.

Be blessed

your friend

innocent-rebel


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